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THE 



WORLD WE LIVE IN; 



OR, 



THE HOME AND FOREIGN TRAVELER: 



A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF THE SCENERY, RESOURCES, 

POPULATION, GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, LITERATURE, 

CIVILIZATION, ARTS AND USAGES OF THE 

PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES IN THE 

WORLD : 



WITH NOTICES OF DISTINGUISHED MEN, ETC. 

BY 

EOBERT TUKNBTTLL, 

AUTHOR OF " THE GENIUS OF SCOTLAND," " GENIUS OF ITALY," ETC. 



PUBLISHED BY H. E. KOBINS AND CO. 

HARTFORD AND NEW YORK. 
1851. 



<v X 



^X* 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, 

By H. E. ROBINS & CO. 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Connecticut. 



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Stereotyped bv 

RICHARD C. VALENTINE, 

45 Gold-st., -New York. 



PREFACE. 



Few persons have opportunities of extensive travel, at least in 
foreign lands ; yet all are more or less interested in " The World 
we Live In," and desire to form some acquaintance with its diver- 
sified scenery and inhabitants. Hence books of travels, when 
fresh and vivid, are always perused with interest and delight. 
These, however, are not only quite numerous, but often rare and 
expensive. Besides, they usually treat only of some particular 
country, or tract of country, and enter into minute details, with 
which general readers have little or no sympathy. 

It has been thought, therefore, that a work within the reach of 
all, and containing, in a comprehensive form, some account of 
the principal countries of the globe, their natural scenery and 
resources, with the character and customs of their inhabitants, 
would meet the wants of a large class of readers. 

By combining the results of observation and reading, the author, 
at the suggestion of the enterprising publishers, has composed, 
and, he might say, in part compiled, the following work. For 
much of it, relating to countries which he has not personally vis- 
ited, must necessarily possess the character of a compilation. He 
has spent years, indeed, both in Europe and America ; he has 
also traveled somewhat extensively, especially in the older portions 
of the world, and has thus written a considerable part of the 
work from personal observation. Yet he wishes it to be dis- 
tinctly understood, that he has felt it his duty to avail himself 
quite freely of the published travels of others, especially of those 
which are the most recent and successful. 

Important and interesting discoveries, those, for example, of 
Catherwood, Layard, Lepsius, and others, have been made in 



4 PKEFACE. 

geography and antiquities. Books of travels, some of great value, 
have recently multiplied to an unprecedented extent ; so that 
hundreds and even thousands of volumes of this description have 
appeared within a few years in Europe and the United States. 
Singular and startling changes, also, have occurred, in the civil 
and political condition of the nations, casting some into shadow, 
and pushing others into greater prominence. The relations of the 
different portions of the world are coming into closer union, 
and a new and more glorious "future" is dawning upon the 
race. 

But every country has certain salient points, certain grand 
features and leading aims, which determine its peculiar character 
and position among the nations. The attempt, therefore, has 
been made, in this volume, not only to give a comprehensive sur- 
vey of the natural and moral condition of the world at large, but 
to sketch each particular country, with as much brevity and 
truthfulness as the author could command. Of course many 
things are necessarily left out ; in some instances the information 
communicated is, doubtless, slight and superficial ; but an honest 
endeavor has been made to give a faithful, though not elaborate 
portrait. After all, a few rough sketches will often give the 
features of a face, of a landscape, or of a community better than 
the most detailed and elaborate description. We do not, indeed, 
ourselves claim to have done this ; we have simply made the 
effort. But outlines and etchings must not be judged by the 
same rules as complete and finished pictures-. 

There is an advantage, however, of no trifling character, in pos- 
sessing a manual, which may enable us, without confusion, to 
take a single and comprehensive survey of the nations which com- 
pose the " World we Live In," and, by means of comparison and 
contrast, to form a just estimate of each and all, in their relations 
to one another and to the whole. Such a book would hold to 
books of travel generally much the same relation which a terres- 
trial globe, of ordinary dimensions, holds to a large collection of 
individual maps. Even the traveler and scholar might find it no 



PREFACE. 5 

disadvantage to consult such a work. By this means the natural 
and moral condition of the world, and, in particular, its progress 
in art, civilization, science, and religion can be more readily esti- 
mated. 

Still, the author has not written for critics and amateurs ; he 
has little or nothing to communicate to them ; indeed, he cannot 
reasonably expect this volume to be honored with their notice. 
He has written for the people ; for ingenuous young persons who 
wish to improve their minds ; for busy merchants and mechanics ; 
and for such professional men as do not possess the time or the 
means for extensive travel, or multifarious reading in this depart- 
ment of literature. 

The idea of a tour has, as much as possible, been preserved. 
The author has endeavored to take his readers along with him, as 
his traveling companions, and assisted them to see, if not with 
their own eyes, at least with their own imaginations, the diversi- 
fied panorama of national scenery, character, costume, and usage. 
Should he succeed in communicating any interesting information, 
or suggesting any good thoughts, or exciting any generous or 
even pleasant impulses, he will feel himself abundantly rewarded. 

Haktfokd, Conn. 



CONTENTS. 



tiHAPTKR. Page. 

I. America . 9 

n. The United States 22 

III. New England States 34 

IV. New England States, continued 45 

V. Middle States 63 

VI. Southern States 72 

VII. Western States and Territories 84 

VIII. Indian Territory and Indians 103 

IX. Regions North of the United States 118 

X. Mexico 122 

XI. Central and South America 134 

XII. Europe 159 

XIII. England 169 

XIV. Ireland 189 

XV. Scotland 191 

XVI. Spain 217 

XVII. France 227 

XVIII. Germany 240 

XIX. Germany, continued 257 

XX. Austria 295 

XXI. Hungary 302 

XXII. Bohemia and Poland 310 

XXIII. Russia 318 

XXIV. Sweden, Norway, and Denmark 332 

XXV. Switzerland 340 

XXVI. Italy 348 

XXVII. Italy, continued 372 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter. Page. 

XXVIII. Greece 392 

XXIX. Asia 402 

XXX. Turkey 411 

XXXI. Palestine and Arabia 425 

XXXII. Persia 445 

XXXIII. India 455 

XXXIV. India, continued 465 

XXXV. China 474 

XXXVI. China, continued, with Notices of Siam and Japan . . 488 

XXXVII. Africa 498 

XXXVIH. Egypt 509 

XXXIX. Abyssinia and other African Countries.. 526 

XL. Islands 533 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER I. 




Landing of Columbus. 



'. ■... _ m , H ■-• ■'■-' 

Landing of the Pilgrims. 



In the year of our Lord 1492, amid the calm and sunshine of 
October weather, three small vessels, of antique form, with high 
poop and stern, and only one of them decked, were ploughing the 
waves of a southern sea. They had been sailing many weary days 
and nights due west, in a part of the ocean then unknown, with 
many doubts and fears on the part of the officers and men, though 
with high hope and indomitable courage on the part of the com- 
mander of the expedition. It seemed to them, as they gazed and 

1* 



10 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



gazed, morning, noon, and night, on the vast and solitary expanse 
of waters, that they were leaving forever the abodes of man, and 
passing into a shoreless abyss. In the early part of their journey 
they had been sadly frightened by the smoking peak of Teneriffe, 
and a few days after by the fact, never till then observed, that the 
magnetic needle in the ship's compass varied from its ordinary 
direction, as if the different points of the compass were beginning 
to be confounded ! Occasionally, indeed, they were cheered by 
the flight of beautiful birds, and masses of sea-weed driven, as 
they supposed, from some rocky shore ; and once or twice they 
imagined they saw land at a distance. But they had been de- 
ceived again and again, and their souls died within them with 
doubt and fear. Nay, they had even threatened sedition against 
their commander, and secretly vowed to cast him overboard, and 
so return to their native land. But their fears had been soothed, 
their doubts dissipated, and their spirit of rebellion checked by 
the kindness and decision of that indomitable spirit who, with a 
faith which seemed more than mortal, resolved to press on to- 
ward the setting sun, assured that upon those unknown and un- 
traversed seas they would reach the golden regions of which he 
had dreamed for many years. He had commenced the journey 
with solemn religious rites, and believed that he was to be the 
agent, under the providence of God, in the accomplishment of a 
glorious destiny. 

On the 25th of September, while Columbus and his officers 
were diligently studying their maps in order to make out their 
position, a shout was heard from the Pinta — the name of one of 
the ships — and on looking up they beheld Martin Alonzo Pinzon 
mounted on the stern of the vessel, who shouted, with a loud 
voice — " Land ! land ! Senor, I claim my reward !"* pointing to 
the southwest, in which land seemed to loom upon the vision at a 
distance of about twenty-five leagues. Columbus fell upon his 
knees and gave thanks to the Almighty, and Martin Alonzo re- 
peated the Gloria in Excelsis, in which he was loudly joined by 
the crews of the ships, amounting in all to about a hundred men. 
Changing their course they sailed all night in the direction indi- 
cated, straining their eyes to catch the first view of the long- 
wished-for land. But, alas ! it was only a false appearance, 
caused by clouds resting on the dim edge of the horizon, which 
vanished with the light of early day. 

The crews relapsed into their former state of discontent and 



* A pension of thirty crowns, which had been promised, by the sovereigns 
of Spain, to the first man who should discover land. 



AjMEEICA. 11 



despondency ; but the great multitude of birds flying about the 
ships, floating masses of sea- weed, and other signs of land, kept 
them from utter despair. Columbus alone remained calm and 
self-possessed. His serene and lofty spirit rose above difficulty 
and danger, and, like the Christian with reference to the heavenly 
Canaan, descried "the promised land," though yet invisible to 
mortal eye. 

On the evening of the 6th of October, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
commander of the Pinta, began to lose confidence in the course 
they were steering, and proposed that they should stand to the 
southward. But Columbus had made up his mind to the issue, 
and persisted in steering directly west. Land again seemed to 
break upon their vision, but they said nothing of it, for they feared 
disappointment — and again it passed away, like the early cloud 
and the morning dew. Guided by the flight of birds — to which 
the ancient mariners attached much importance — Columbus chang- 
ed his course in a southwesterly direction. For three days they 
stood in that direction, encouraged by the signs of land. Flights 
of small, colored birds, some of them such as sing in the fields and 
woods, flying about the ship, encouraged them to proceed. Tun- 
ny-fish, not usually found far from shore, played about in the 
smooth, translucent sea. A heron, a duck, and a pelican were 
seen, all moving toward the southwest. Green herbage, as if 
recently from the land, floated by, and the air " was sweet and 
fragrant as April breezes in Seville." 

But the crews, who imagined that they had passed between 
islands, left behind them perhaps forever, grew mutinous, and in- 
sisted on abandoning the voyage and returning home. Columbus 
was firm as a rock, and told them that it was useless to murmur ; 
" that the expedition had been sent by the sovereigns to seek the 
Indies, and, happen what might, he was resolved to persevere, 
until, by the blessing of God, he should accomplish the en- 
terprise." 

Fortunately for him, the indications of land became every hour 
more and more decisive. Besides a quantity of fresh weeds, they 
saw fish of a greenish hue, which keep about rocks, and, above 
all, a branch of thorn with berries on it, recently separated from 
the tree ; then a reed, a small board, and a staff, artificially carv- 
ed, which they picked up with inexpressible delight. 

Gloom and mutiny again gave way to sanguine expectation, 
and throughout the whole day every one was on the watch, in the 
hope of catching the first glimpse of land. 

In the evening, when the sailors had sung the Salve Regina, or 
evening hymn, to the Virgin, Columbus made an impressive ad- 



12 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



dress to his crew, exhorting them to fidelity and obedience, and 
intimating that they would probably see land before the morning 
wateh. He ordered a steady look-out from the forecastle, and 
promised to him who should make the first discovery a doublet of 
velvet, in addition to the reward promised by the sovereigns. 

The breeze blew fresh, with more sea than usual, and they made 
rapid progress, the Pinta keeping the lead from her rapid sailing. 
The greatest excitement prevailed : not an eye was closed all that 
night. As the shadows of evening fell, Columbus stationed him- 
self on the top of the castle, or eabin, on the high poop of his 
vessel, the Santa Maria, sweeping the dusky horizon with his pen- 
etrating gaze. About 10 o'clock he thought he saw a light glim- 
mering at a distance : fearful that his eager hopes might deceive 
him, he ealled one of the members of the expedition, in whom ho 
had confidence, and asked him if he saw such a light. The latter 
replied in the affirmative. To make the matter still more certain, 
he called another person and put a similar inquiry. Before the 
latter had ascended the round-house, the light had vanished. 
They saw it, however, once or twice afterward, by sudden gleams, 
as if it were flashing among trees, or rising and sinking with some 
boat among the waves. Though others doubted, Columbus, in his 
own mind, knew that they were approaching land. They contin- 
ued their course till two in the morning, when the Pinta gave the 
joyful signal of land. It was first seen by one of the sailors, 
though the reward was afterward adjudged to the admiral. The 
land was distinctly seen at about two leagues distant, whereupon 
they took in sail, and eagerly " wished for day." 

What were the feelings of Columbus at such a time, can be 
better imagined than described. His hopes were realized ; his 
faith had become vision. A name to last forever was now se- 
cured, and a new world was given to the nations. 

At length the day dawned, and the prospect of hills and val- 
leys, clothed with the freshest verdure and bathed in the richest 
sunlight, broke upon their vision. The three vessels, crowded 
with eager eyes and flying streamers, made for the land. The 
crew of the Pinta, which, as usual, was in advance, began chant- 
ing the Te Deum, and all united in thanking Heaven for his good- 
ness. As they approached they saw the natives running from all 
parts of the shore, who imagined that the Spaniards and their 
vessels sailed out of the firmament, and stood gazing upon them 
in mute astonishment. Columbus gave the signal to anchor, and 
ordered the boats to be manned and armed. Richly attired in 
scarlet, and bearing the royal standard, he advanced in his own 
boat, while Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vicente Yanez, his brother, 



AMEBIC A. 13 



put off in their boats together. As they approached the shore 
they were delighted with the balmy air, the crystal transparency 
of the sea, and the rich tropical vegetation with which the land 
was covered. The moment Columbus stepped on shore he fell 
upon his knees, kissed the earth, and gave audible thanks to God, 
with tears of joy. The others, penetrated with similar feelings, 
followed his example. Columbus, then rising, drew his sword, 
unfurled the royal standard, and took possession of the country in 
the name of the Castilian sovereigns, giving the island the name 
of St. Salvador. 

Other islands were visited, and Columbus returned to Europe 
to report the wonders of the new-found world. In his letters and 
journal he dwells with enthusiasm and delight upon the beauty 
and fertility of the land, the purity and freshness of the atmos- 
phere, the peaceful and hospitable character of the inhabitants. 
Evidently his imagination was greatly excited, and as he took with 
him specimens of gold, spices, and other productions of those 
tropical regions, his arrival at the Spanish court was hailed with 
the liveliest demonstrations of wonder, gratitude, and joy. 

" The loveliness of this new land," writes the great navigator, 
"far surpasses that of the Campana de Cordoba. The trees are 
all bright with ever-verdant foliage, and perpetually laden with 
fruits. The plants on the ground are tall and full of blossoms. 
The breezes are mild, like those of April in Castile ; the nightin- 
gales sing more sweetly than I can describe. At night, other small 
birds sing sweetly ; and I also hear our grasshoppers and frogs. 
Once I came into a deeply inclosed harbor, and saw high moun- 
tains which no human eye had seen before, from which the lovely 
waters (lindas aguas) streamed down. The mountain was cov- 
ered with firs, pines, and other trees of various forms, and adorned 
with beautiful flowers. Ascending the river which poured itself 
into the bay, I was astonished at the cool shade, the crystal clear 
water, and the number of singing-birds. It seemed to me as if I 
never could quit a spot so delightful, — as if a thousand tongues 
would fail to describe it — as if the spell-bound pen would refuse 
to write."* 

Columbus seemed to understand his destiny. After all, he little 
knew what he had discovered. All the time he supposed he had 
gained the coast of Asia, by a western route, and formed but a 
dim conception of the vast regions of the new continent, lying to 
the north and south. His discovery forms an epoch in the history 
of the world, the results of which are even now but imperfectly 

* Humboldt's Cosmos. 



14 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



realized. It has been well described as the genesis time of modern 
history. The age in which it occurred was in every respect a re- 
markable one. Other great discoveries were made about the same 
time, affecting, in an equal degree, the whole current of human 
affairs. The invention of gunpowder, and the adaptation of mov- 
able types to the purpose of printing, slightly preceded the dis- 
covery of America ; and the Reformation of the sixteenth century 
followed soon after. These great events combining their influences, 
formed an era such as the world has never seen since the advent 
of Jesus Christ, and the establishment of Christianity. 

It is a fact worthy of observation, that the colonization of this 
New World was given to those five nations that were the furthest 
advanced in civilization, and the most powerful at that period of 
history — to England, to Spain, to Portugal, to France, and to 
Holland. What seemed, at first, the poorest, but by far the best 
portion, was given to the Anglo-Saxon race, that energetic people, 
who, under the Christian form of civilization, are yet to control 
the destiny not only of the entire American continent, but of the 
world. 

But the mightiest changes in the history of nations are gener- 
ally wrought by what appear to us insignificant means. The 
Deity has great purposes to fulfill ; and by ways of his own, which 
men often despise at first sight, he uniformly brings them to pass. 
All the great and influential nations of the earth have sprang from 
small beginnings, like mighty rivers, the sources of which are far 
hidden among the granite mountains or the primeval forests. Thus 
God would give this vast continent to freedom and Christianity, 
and he takes his own method to bring it about ; a method of 
which Columbus and the nobles of Granada and Castile had never 
dreamed. 

One hundred and twenty-eight years after the landing of Co- 
lumbus on the shores of the New World, the Mayflower was 
plunging through the stormy waves which break upon the rock- 
ribbed coast of New England. After a long and boisterous pas- 
sage of sixty-three days, during which the pilgrims had endured 
incredible hardships, with a fortitude and a faith superior to that 
of Columbus, they got the first glimpse of land. Columbus 
sought the discovery of new regions which he thought would 
prove to be the El Dorado of the world ; but their aim was to 
found an empire in the wilderness, for " the glory of God," and 
the good of mankind. Men, women, and children had embarked 
their all in the perilous enterprise. Some of them had been sick, 
and one died on the voyage. It was their intention to make a 
settlement at the mouth of the Hudson River, the best position on 



AMERICA. 15 



the whole Atlantic coast ; but they were conducted, through the 
ignorance and self-will of their captain, to the most barren and 
inhospitable part of Massachusetts. It was, however, with no 
ordinary emotions that they first espied the rocky outline of their 
future home, though that was the stormy coast of Cape Cod, in 
whose harbor they were safely moored two days after. 

Before landing, they took into solemn consideration the manner 
in which their government should be constituted, and formed 
themselves into a body politic, to be governed by just and equal 
laws. 

"In the name of God, Amen; we, whose names are under- 
written, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign King James, 
having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the 
Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to 
plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by 
these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and 
of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together, into a civil 
body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and further- 
ance of the ends aforesaid ; and by virtue hereof, to enact, con- 
stitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, con- 
stitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most 
convenient for the general good of the colony. Unto which we 
promise all due submission and obedience." 

This simple but solemn instrument was signed by the whole 
body of emigrants, forty-one in number, who with their families 
amounted in all to one hundred and one, the Christian " democ- 
racy"that arrived in New England. "This," says Bancroft, with 
enthusiasm, " was the birth of popular constitutional liberty. The 
middle ages had been familiar with charters and constitutions ; but 
they had been merely compacts for immunities, partial enfran- 
chisements, patents of nobility, concessions of municipal privileges, 
or limitations of the sovereign power in favor of feudal institutions. 
In the cabin of the Mayflower humanity recovered its rights, and 
instituted governments on the basis of equal laws, for the general 
good." 

John Carver was elected governor, and preparations were made 
for taking possession of their new-found home. The water, how- 
ever, was found too shallow for disembarking, and they were 
compelled to wade. Winter was setting in, and the shore pre- 
sented one long and desolate outline. Not a human being was to 
be seen ; for the Indians in that part of the New World had been 
cut off the previous season by a wasting pestilence. The nearest 
French settlement was at Port Royal, a great distance, and it was 
five hundred miles to the English settlement in Virginia, formed 



16 THE WOELD WE LIVE IS. 



some years before. Worn out by the long voyage, ill supplied 
with provisions, and exposed on a bleak and unsheltered coast to 
the freezing weather, many of them contracted diseases, from 
which they never recovered. 

The winter was advancing, and the place of their settlement 
was yet to be selected. The shallop was unshipped, but it was 
found to need repairs, and sixteen or seventeen weary days elapsed 
before the carpenter finished his work. Some of the party, bolder 
than the rest, undertook to explore the country by land. Much 
hardship was endured, but no discoveries were made. The first 
expedition in the shallop likewise failed ; and some of the people 
that died that winter took " the original of their death" in this 
attempt ; for it " snowed and did blow all the day and night, and 
froze withal." The men who landed to make explorations were 
" tired," as well they might be, " with marching up and down the 
steep hills and deep valleys, which lay half a foot thick with 
snow." A heap of maize, or Indian corn, was discovered, and, at 
some distance, a " burial-place of the Indians," — but they found 
" no more corn, nor any thing else but graves." 

Another attempt was made in the shallop, under the conduct of 
Carver, Bradford, Winslow, Standish, and others, with eight or 
ten seamen. At first they found only some deserted wigwams 
and Indian graves. At last a flight of arrows from the tribe of 
the Nausites startled, but without injuring the adventurers. Giv- 
ing thanks to God, they betake themselves to the boat, which 
they steer along the coast, but without finding a convenient har- 
bor. The sky begins to darken, and a violent storm of snow and 
rain strikes the little craft. The pilot, ignorant of the coast, 
comes near steering among the breakers ; but at last, the boat 
passes through the surf, and enters a fair sound, and the crew 
find shelter under the lee of a small bluff of land. It is dark, and 
the storm of wind and rain beats furiously. The men are wet, 
cold, and exhausted. They are willing, however, to brave danger 
from the savages, and, with difficulty, kindle a fire on shore. 

In the morning, they found the place a small island within the 
entrance of the harbor. The day was needed for rest and prepa- 
ration, and the next was the " holy Sabbath," which they kept 
with religious care. 

Time was pressing, and their exigencies were peculiar ; but they 
feared God and kept his commandments, a feature in their char- 
acter which must strike the most casual observer. 

Not till Monday, therefore, the eleventh of December (old 
style), in the year 1620, did the exploring party land on Plymouth 
Rock. The spot seemed favorable for settlement ; and in a few 



AMERICA. 17 



days the Mayflower, with her precious freight, was safely moored 
in its harbor. Their church had long been organized, and their 
constitution of government, which they had a few days before 
agreed, by solemn compact, to observe, was put into immediate 
operation ; so that the foundations of a new and enduring com- 
monwealth were laid in the wilds of Northern America. Freedom, 
civil and religious, sprang up among the rocks. 

But, alas ! much grief and care must be endured by the colo- 
nists. Difficulties of various kinds arose. Food was scarce, and 
their homes, if homes they might be called, were hastily con- 
structed amid ice and snow. The Indians began to discover them- 
selves, hovering around them at a distance, though instantly 
disappearing when pursued. Some were sick and feeble, and in 
the succeeding seasons many died. The benevolent and noble- 
hearted Carver, appointed governor, had, at his first landing, lost 
a son ; his own health suddenly gave way, and his broken-hearted 
wife followed him to the grave. Emigrants subsequently arrived, 
unprovided with food, compelling the whole colony, for six months 
in succession, to subsist on half allowance. The consequences 
were disastrous. " I have seen men," says Winslow, " stagger by 
reason of faintness for want of food." At one time, tradition says, 
the colonists were reduced to a single pint of corn, which, distrib- 
uted, gave to each person only five kernels. Their little grave- 
yard, "smoothed down for fear of the Indians," was gradually 
filling up. Yet they toiled on, in faith and hope, men, women, 
and children, looking and praying for better days. 

Other emigrants, better provided, followed from England. 
The labors of husbandry began to be somewhat fruitful. Slowly, 
but surely, the colony rose to prosperity and power. " Thus," 
to quote the words of Bradford, their second governor, and their 
historian, " out of small beginnings great things have been pro- 
duced ; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light 
here kindled hath shone to many, yea, in some sort, to our 
whole nation." 

A few years ago, a large company, composed of the talent and 
wealth of the country, met at Plymouth to celebrate the anniversary 
of the landing of the pilgrims. Farmers and mechanics, lawyers 
and clergymen, poets, orators, and statesmen were there. After 
much festivity and joy, " a magnificent oration," as the newspapers 
had it, and many fine speeches, one of the number, a poet of New 
England,* a man of rare wit, humor, and pathos, read a poem 
entitled " The Pilgrim's Vision," in which he represents one of 

* Dr. 0. W. Holmes. 



18 THE WOELD WE LIVE IK 



the old Puritans, in " the hour of twilight shadows," thinking of 
the " bloudy salvages" lurking around his dwelling, and then call- 
ing one of his children to listen to a wonderful vision which he 
had in Leyden, before the sailing of the Mayflower, a part of 
which seemed to be "unfolding" before his eyes. The home of 
the old Puritan is admirably, and, we presume, truthfully de- 
scribed. There must have been many just such houses in the 
wilderness. 

" His home was a freezing cabin, 

Too bare for a hungry rat ; 
Its roof was thatched with ragged grass, 

And bald enough at that : 
The hole that served for casement 

"Was glazed with an ancient hat, 
And the ice was gently thawing 

From the log whereon he sat. 

" Along the dreary landscape 

His eyes went to and fro, 

The trees all clad in icicles, 

The streams that did not flow. 
He smote his leathern jerkin, 
And murmur'd ' Even so.' " 

Then follows "the vision," describing, with great force and 
beauty, the chances and changes of the future history of New 
England. 

" I saw in the naked forest 

Our scatter'd remnant cast, 
A screen of shivering branches 

Between them and the blast ; 
The snow Avas falling round them, 

The dying fell as fast, 
I look'd to see them perish, 

When, lo ! the vision passed. 

" Again mine eyes were opened, 

The feeble had waxed strong, 
The babes had grown to sturdy men, 

The remnant was a throng ; 
By shadowed lake and winding stream, 

And all the shores along, 
The howling demons quaked to hear 

The Christian's godly song. 

" They slept, — the village fathers — 
By river, lake, and shore, 
"When far adown the steep of time 
The vision rose once more : 



AMERICA. 19 



I saw along the winter snow, 

A spectral column pour, 
And high above their broken ranks 

A tatter'd flag they bore. 

" Their leader rode before them, 

Of bearing calm and high, 
The light of heaven's own kindling 

Throned in his awful eye ; 
These were a nation's champions, 

Her dread appeal to try ; 
God for the right ! I falter'd, 

And lo, the train passed by. 

w Once more the strife was ended, 

The solemn issue tried ; 
The Lord of Hosts, his mighty arm 

Had helped our Israel's side ; 
Gray stone and grassy hillock 

Told where her martyrs died, 
And peace was in the borders 

Of Victory's chosen bride." 

Thus gazing, he sees the revolution completed, and the enemies 
of the United States driven back, and exclains, 

" " trembling Faith ! though dark the morn, 

A heavenly torch is thine ; 
While feebler races melt away, 

And paler orbs decline, 
Still shall the fiery pillar's ray 

Along thy pathway shine, 
To light the chosen tribe that sought 

This western Palestine. 

" I see the living tide roll on, 

It crowns with flaming towers 
The icy capes of Labrador, 

The Spaniard's land of flowers ! 
It streams beyond the splinter'd ridge 

That parts the northern showers ; 
From eastern rock to sunset wave, 

The Continent is ours !" 

"What was the festival," says Sir Henry Bulwer at one of the 
annual festivals of the New England Society lately held in the 
city of New York, " provided at the arrival of the third colony 
which came out to join their Plymouth brethren ? A lobster, 
three small fishes, and some spring water. It was only necessary 
to make a Rule-of- Three sum — what the lobster and the three 
fishes, and the spring water, were to the dinner they had been 



20 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



eating, was the condition of New England at the time that the 
Pilgrims landed, to the condition of New England at the time at 
which he was speaking ; and in this he had not told the whole 
story — the fish were bought, and not caught — along the whole 
coast there was not a single line, or a hook, or a net. Hear this, 
ye gentlemen of New Bedford, from whose port now issue forth 
six hundred sail of ships, manned by 16,000 hardy men, to cap- 
ture, and monopolize the capture, of the greatest monsters of the 
deep. He could pursue the subject, but they all knew better 
than he did all about it. Yes, gentlemen, you all know that in 1620 
the whole of New England contained but three hundred inhabit- 
ants, which, in a century afterward, had increased to 160,000, 
and may at this day be given at nearly 3,000,000. You know 
that the capital of New England, in 1720, contained 12,000 in- 
habitants; in 1820, 43,000; in 1830, 78,000, and in 1850, 
156,000. You all know that Boston, in 1789, was proud, very 
proud, of two stage-coaches, which employed twelve horses ; 
that she was prouder still, in 1800, of twenty-five stage-coaches, 
which employed one hundred horses; and that in 1847, these 
twenty-five coaches had risen into two hundred and fifty coaches 
and omnibuses, employing 1600 horses, without taking into ac- 
count seven railways, which provide daily accommodation for 
7000 passengers. 

" You all know that the first newspaper published in the colo- 
nies, was published in 1704, in this same city of Boston, and that 
a third newspaper published in the same town in 1721, under the 
title of the New England Courant, could not maintain itself, 
although it had very warm advocates, being supported by the 
Hell-fire Club ; and you also all know that at this moment there 
are in Boston sixteen daily newspapers, with a daily circulation of 
223,000, to say nothing of semi-weekly papers, and semi-monthly 
papers, and monthly, and quarterly, and annual publications. As 
to your schools, it is quite useless for me to say a word about 

them. 

****** 

" Who, at the period to which this scene recalls us, were the 
mighty of the earth? On the throne of England, then sat a 
prince justly proud — if pride could ever rest upon sound founda- 
tions — of the triple crown which had recently become his family 
inheritance. In France, the scepter was held in the hands of a 
still haughtier race, who ruled with supreme authority over the 
most gallant and chivalrous people in the world. What has be- 
come of the illustrious lines of these two royal houses — of that 
of the sovereign who gloried in the non-conformity bill ; of that 



AMERICA. 21 



of those sovereigns amongst whose deeds are recorded the mas- 
sacre of St. Bartholomew and the revocation of the edict of 
Nantes ? The crown of the Stuarts has melted into air in the 
one kingdom, the sceptre of the Bourbons has been shattered to 
atoms in the ether. But here, on this spot where I am speaking, 
still stands, erect and firm, the pilgrims' staff. From the bruised 
seed of the poor and persecuted Puritan has arisen one of the 
most powerful and prosperous empires in the world. Let that 
which is a warning unto others, be a warning unto you. Always 
remember that the vaunting Speedwell put into port, when the 
modest Mayflower stood out to sea. And do you wish to know 
what is the principal cause of the high position you have attained ? 
I will tell you ; it is to be sought for in the trials and difficulties 
through which you have passed. If you have made your country, 
it is no less true that your country has made you. Here is the 
distinguishing peculiarity of our two nations. It is true that you 
have a republican form of government, and that I would shed the 
last drop of my blood to preserve the prerogatives of a beloved 
sovereign, within the sanctuary of whose honored privileges I see 
best preserved the liberties of myself and fellow-subjects. But 
whatever may be the separate polity of our two constitutions, 
one thing is certain, they are not the work of chance, theory, or 
imitation ; but formed upon the hard anvil of patient fortitude, 
by the oft-repeated and well-tempered stroke of practical experi- 
ence. Mark the difference elsewhere — the state of experiment, 
suspense, or ripening convulsion, which reigned almost throughout 
the world. But amid such crude experiments, such fearful un- 
certainties, such threatening conflicts, might be seen towering the 
common genius of Albion, and of Albion's transatlantic children." 



22 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



CHATTER II. 

THE UNITED STATES. 

Were one of our readers now to make a pilgrimage to Plym- 
outh, as thousands are "wont to do annually, he would find in 
"Pilgrim Hall," built in 1824, of unwrought granite, to commem- 
orate the landing of the pilgrims, and be a receptacle of interest- 
ing memorials connected with their history, among other relics, 
Governor Carver's old oaken chair, and another which belonged 
to the venerable Elder Brewster, large enough to make half a 
dozen common chairs of modern times, a huge iron pot, similar 
to one in the Atheneeum at Hartford, and the Bible of John 
Alden. John Alden was one of the youngest of the band that 
came in the Mayflower, being twenty-two years when he linded. 
Tradition says, on what authority we know not, that he was the 
first that leaped upon the rock rendered so memorable by the 
event. This ancient Bible was printed in London in 1620, the 
year in which the Mayflower sailed. How carefully read on the 
long and boisterous passage, and how profoundly studied in the 
wilderness, may be well conceived. It was the guide of his life, 
and soothed him in his dying hours. He married Priscilla, the 
daughter of William Mullins, a fellow-pilgrim, and settled in the 
town of Duxbury. He acted as assistant to all the governors of 
the colony except Carver, and held that office for thirty-six years. 
It is recorded of him, that " he was a meek, sincere, pious, and 
faithful follower of the blessed Redeemer, and his end was peace 
and triumph." 

It is an interesting and striking circumstance that two of the 
grandchildren of the man that first landed on Plymouth rock 
were living at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and 
it is to mark the astonishing progress of the colony that we intro- 
duce their names here. These were Samuel Alden and his sister, 
Mrs. Alice Paddock, who saw "the waste howling wilderness," 
as some of the pilgrims called it, especially in times of depression 
and sorrow, which their grandfather had looked upon, peopled with 
three millions of souls, engaged in a successful contest with the 
mother-country! Samuel died in 1781, at the advanced age of 
ninety-three. 

It is a yet more interesting fact, perhaps, that from the same 
family, in the course of four or five generations, were descended 
those who stood before kings, as the embassadors and represent- 



THE UNITED STATES. 23 



atives of a vast cordon of Republican Commonwealths, nay, held 
an office in these States which they regarded as higher than that 
of mere hereditary monarchs. Could John Alden have dreamed 
all this, or heard it from some holy seer as a prediction, it would 
have staggered even his strong and abiding faith. Yet from Ruth, 
the daughter of the pilgrim, were descended the Adamses ; first 
the father, that noble, and heroic man who pledged his life and 
sacred honor in the cause of his country's independence, and then 
the son, that "old man eloquent," who, with all his father's vir- 
tue and patriotism, possessed an eloqtience, if possible, more fervid 
and commanding. William C. Bryant, the poet, is also descended 
from the same stock. 

We state another fact, as an indication of the amazing progress 
made by this country, even within the last fifty years, for at that 
time nearly the whole of Western New York was a wilderness ; 
and as for Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, they were then the "Far 
West," which now lies beyond the Rocky Mountains, if not on the 
west Pacific coast, amid the mines of California. A gentleman 
who had just returned to one of the Eastern States from a journey 
he had made to Niagara, in 1792, wrote an account of it to a 
friend, from which it would appear that his tour was a vastly 
more serious affair than a journey to France, Italy, or even Egypt 
would be in the present day. 

The gentleman above alluded to first went from Boston to Al- 
bany, then to Schenectady, then eighty miles up the valley of the 
Mohawk to Fort Schuyler. He speaks of the country through 
which he passed as beautiful and highly cultivated. He next 
passed through Whitestown. "If," says he, "you were placed 
in Whitestown or Clinton, ten miles west of Fort Schuyler, and 
saw the progress of improvement, you would believe it enchanted 
ground." 

After passing Clinton he found no inhabitants on the road till 
he reached Oneida, an Indian town, which contained five hundred 
and fifty inhabitants. He passed the night with the Indians, and 
went the next day to Onondaga, where he lodged with a man 
who was engaged in boiling down the waters of the salt springs, 
■which were about seven miles north of his house. .He made about 
fifty bushels of salt per week. Between this place and the Cayu- 
ga Lake, a distance of thirty-five miles, he found but three houses. 
Between Cayuga and the Geneva Lake he found no inhabitant. 
" Upon a pretty slope, on the north part of this lake, stands a town 
called Geneva. It has a fine effect from the opposite shore, but 
disappoints you when you arrive at it. It consists of about twenty 
log houses, three or four frame buildings, and as many idle per- 



24 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



sons as can live in them." Such was Geneva about fifty years 
ago. 

Our traveler went from Geneva to Canandaigua, which con- 
sisted of about twenty houses, and appeared to be a very thriving 
place. In passing from this place to the Genesee River he found 
many settlements. 

" After I had reached the Genesee River," says the writer, " cu- 
riosity led me on to Niagara — ninety mile's — not one house or 
white man the whole way. The only direction which I had was 
an Indian path, which sometimes was doubtful. The first day I 
rode fifty miles through swarms of mosquitoes, gnats, &c, beyond 
all description. At eight in the evening, I reached an Indian 
town, called Townawanda. It contains many hundreds of the sav- 
ages, who live in tolerable houses, which they make of timber and 
cover with bark. By signs, I made them understand me, and for 
a little money, they cut limbs and bushes sufficient to erect a 
booth (it was in the month of August), under which I slept very 
quietly on the grass. The next day I pursued my journey, nine 
miles of which lay through a very deep swamp. With some 
difficulty I got through, and about sundown arrived at the fort of 
Niagara." 

The fort was garrisoned by the 5th regiment, — which, in 1775, 
was under the command of Lord Percy. Our traveler found a 
tavern on the British side, and soon slept off his fatigue. What 
would be his impressions were he to repeat his journey now ? 

But look at the present position and relations of this great con- 
federacy of republics, its free institutions consolidated, and its 
influence, commerce, and population expanding on every side. It 
occupies the central and best portion of the North American Con- 
tinent, one of the most diversified and fruitful regions in the world, 
and must, from its physical and moral forces, control the destinies 
of the western hemisphere. Its resources are prodigious : of im- 
mense extent, connecting by a long line of states and territories 
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and sweeping from the forests of 
Canada on the north to the orange-groves of Florida on the south, 
we have room enough for a population such as the world has 
never seen collected in a single country. Nations and communi- 
ties seek their destiny, as fountains and rivers their level. If you 
can check the progress of streams from the mountains or tides 
from the ocean, then may this country be prevented from control- 
ling, by means of her government and social influence, the two 
Americas and their teeming population. Much of evil doubtless 
will intermingle with this ; for, alas ! even the Christian form of 
civilization is yet rudimental and imperfect. Physical force, 



THE UNITED STATES. 25 



though wonderfully modified by the influence of Christianity, is 
yet the dominant power in the world. But physical force itself 
is coming to rest more and more upon moral and spiritual powers, 
so that the most intelligent and virtuous nations are always the 
strongest in the long run. Imperfect as we are, it is our superi- 
ority of character which has given us our position of control in the 
western world. It is a direct consequence of the mental and moral 
vigor of this country, that our institutions and laws at the present 
moment are extending on the right hand and on the left, and that 
our influence is overspreading and overmastering all other influ- 
ences throughout the northern and southern regions of the Amer- 
ican Continent. 

That the two coasts, the Atlantic and Pacific, will, at no distant 
day, be more intimately connected by means of railroad communi- 
cation, can scarcely be doubted. " Estimating the breadth of the 
continent at 1850 miles (it is sometimes called 2000), and allow- 
ing 650 for deviation from a straight line in laying the track, we 
have a traveling distance of 2500 miles ! If to these we reckon 
15 miles an hour as the rate of traveling, which is a very moder- 
ate calculation, it follows that seven days will be sufficient to ac- 
complish the journey from New York to San Francisco. From 
San Francisco to Canton a passage can be made in about twenty 
days, to Siam it may require twenty-five days, and to Burmah 
thirty days. Add to these estimates fifteen days as the average 
steam-passage between Liverpool and New York, and >forty-five 
days appear as the necessary traveling time between Liverpool 
and Canton : .that is but about one-third of the time usually occu- 
pied by sailing-vessels from Liverpool or New York, when passing 
around Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope to Canton. On 
tracing the fortieth parallel of north latitude on a map of the 
world, it will be found nearly the central line between the great 
commercial nations of the earth, and to cut our continent near the 
points which Avould be connected by such a railroad as we have 
mentioned." 

This, then, will give to the United States a field for commercial, 
literary, and religious enterprise superior to that of any nation in 
the world. The resources of California, just acquired, are yet 
scarcely realized. Not to speak of her extensive deposits of gold, 
millions of which have been already collected, she possesses vast 
tracts of arable land, large forests of excellent timber for ship- 
building and other purposes, and navigable rivers every where 
running from her interior to the sea. Connected by railroads and 
other means of communication with the Eastern States, California 
will become the recipient and highway of the Oriental trade. The 

2 



26 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



rich commerce of Asia must flow through her center ; and back 
again the commerce, literature, and religion of Europe and the 
United States must flow to transform and elevate the Oriental 
world. The influence of such interchange can scarcely be over- 
rated ; it will infallibly bless the inhabitants of Asia with a highei 
form of civilization, and in return enrich this country with then 
valuable and exhaustless products. 

" Where has that commerce ever flowed without carrying 
wealth and dominion with it ? Look at its ancient channels, and 
the cities which it raised into kingdoms, and the populations 
which upon its treasures became resplendent in science, learning, 
and the arts. Tyre, Sidon, Balbec, Palmyra, Alexandria, among 
its ancient emporiums, attest the power of this commerce to en- 
rich, to aggrandize, and to enlighten nations. Constantinople, in 
the middle ages and in the time of the crusades, was the wonder 
of Western Europe ; and all because she was then a thoroughfare 
of Asiatic commerce. Genoa and Venice, mere cities, in later 
time became the match of kingdoms and the envy of kings, from 
the mere divided streams of this trade, of which they became the 
thoroughfare. Lisbon had her great day, and Portugal her pre- 
eminence during the little while that the discovery of the Cape of 
Good Hope put her in communication with the East. Amsterdam, 
the city of a little territory rescued from the sea, and the Seven 
United Provinces, not equal in extejit to one of our lesser States, 
became great in arms, in letters, in' wealth, and in power, and all 
upon the East India trade. And London, what makes her the 
commercial mistress of the world ? What makes 'an island, no 
larger than one of our first-class States, the mistress of possessions 
in the four quarters of the globe — a match for half of Europe, and 
dominant in Asia ? What makes all this, or contributes most to 
make it, but this same Asiatic trade ? In no instance has it failed 
to carry the nation or the people which possessed it to the highest 
pinnacle of wealth and power, and with it the highest attainments 
of letters, arts, and sciences." 

Who can look, not only at the relations of this vast territory to 
the rest of the world, but to its peculiar characteristics, passing 
as it does through every variety of climate, and containing every 
species of animal, vegetable, and mineral productions, with its vast 
and beautiful lakes — say, rather, inland seas — its long canals, its 
interminable railroads, its magnetic telegraphs, its mighty forests, 
its majestic and long-reaching rivers, without a sensation, not sim- 
ply of admiration, but of awe ? 

Then, again, look at its people. They are mostly of the Saxon 
race, and derive their origin from a long line of the best ancestry. 



THE UNITED STATES. 27 



Hardy, active, enterprising, they are capable of all endurance, 
susceptible of all improvement. With the most august and thrill- 
ing' recollections of the olden time, with a heritage of freedom and 
faith bought by the blood of their fathers, the descendants mainly 
of the New-England pilgrims — but not only of these, but of the 
old English patriots, in whose veins ran unchecked the blood of 
freedom, and whose hearts bowed only to God, the great stream 
of American population, as it flows to future ages, will be kept 
vis'orous and free, intermingled, indeed, and augmented, though, 
never essentially modified, by lesser streams setting in continually 
from the hills and valleys of modern Europe. 

Observe the" manner in which the population increases ; it is 
almost appalling, even to think of it. The fact is well ascertained 
that it doubles once in twenty-three years and a half, and that it 
has done so regularly during the two hundred years which have 
elapsed since its first settlement by the British, under the colonial 
and monarchical as well as the republican governments. This, 
therefore, may be regarded as its natural rate of increase, and will 
probably continue to be such in future, even should all emigration 
from Europe be cut off. Internal divisions, indeed, civil wars, the 
dominion of vice, and the disorder and ruin which always follow 
the separation of states and the disruption of religious and social 
obligations, may greatly check it ; so that the prediction of Burke, 
who has been styled "the unrivaled prophet of politics" — though 
we ourselves believe it morally impossible — may yet be fulfilled, 
and " American Tartars, armed with the pike and the saber, may 
pour over the Alleghanies and sweep away the wealth and popu- 
lation, and the existence of a long line of cities, grown indolent, 
avaricious, and defenseless by the natural course of popular gov- 
ernment and profligate prosperity." We may hope, however, 
that the pure and all-controlling influence of truth and piety will 
so subdue the multitudes yet to fill the great valley of the West, 
that this prediction, like others of a similar kind, will fail of its 
accomplishment. The probability is, that the rate of increase, to 
which we have referred, will be perpetuated for many generations. 
In 1850 the United States contained a population of near 25,000,- 
000, 20,000,000 of the Saxon, and about 5,000,000 of African 
and other races. Fifty years thence it may be expected to con- 
tain from S0,000,000 to 100,000,000; and one hundred years 
thence, from 350,000,000 to 400,000,000, a number one-third 
greater than the entire present population of Europe. Our grand- 
children may live to see this country filled with this immense mass 
of human beings. 

Reflect also upon their national progress. See how they ad- 



28 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



vance over hill and valley, through forest and stream, to the 
occupancy of the vast and untrodden domains of the West. Hark 
how their strokes ring from the primeval forest, while the voice of 
psalms, on Sabbath morn, rises from the low-roofed cabin by the 
desert stream. "They do not pass through," says Alison, the 
historian of Europe, " like a desolating fire or a raging torrent ; 
they settle where they take up their abode, never to return. 
Their war is with the forest and the marsh. Spreading them- 
selves over an extent of nearly 1200 miles in length, these ad- 
vanced posts of civilization commence the incessant war with the 
hatchet and the plough ; and at the sound of their strokes re- 
sounding through the solitudes of their forests, the wild animals 
and the Indians retire to more undisturbed retreats. Along this 
frontier tract the average advance of cultivation is about seventeen 
miles a year. The ground is imperfectly cleaned by the pioneers, 
but still the forest has disappeared ; the green field, the wooden 
cottage, the signs of infant improvement have arisen, and behind 
them another wave of more wealthy and skillful settlers succeeds, 
who complete the work of agricultural improvement." 

The advance of population and improvement in future must be 
chiefly in the West — in. the great valley of the Mississippi, which 
lies hundreds of miles between the Alleghanies on the east and 
the Rocky Mountains on the west, the great inland seas of Erie, 
Ontario, Huron, and Michigan on the north, and the Gulf of Mex- 
ico on the south, watered by the magnificent rivers of the Ohio, 
the Missouri, the Mississippi, and the Arkansas, and containing 
vegetable and mineral resources sufficient almost to support the 
whole population of America and Europe combined. It is ascer- 
tained that the population of the West increases at the rate of 
300,000 to 500,000 per annum, which, in forty or fifty years, will 
give it the control of the whole American continent, and, through 
that, of the world. But the Rocky Mountains will also be left 
behind, and millions will be found occupying the vast regions 
which lie on the other side, and extend to the shores of the Pa- 
cific. San Francisco is destined to be one of the most important 
commercial emporiums in the world. 

The tide of population pouring in continually from the Old 
World is a circumstance of profound interest to us all. Depreca- 
ted by some as a gigantic evil, God evidently designs it for a 
blessing. For ourselves, we rejoice in the immense accessions 
from Ireland, Italy, ai:d Germany annually made to this country ; 
for if we are true to Freedom and to God, we shall find that they 
are brought here to be emancipated and redeemed. 

" This great republic," says an English writer who will not be 



THE UNITED STATES. 29 



supposed guilty of exaggeration in this instance, " is the para- 
mount state on the American continent, and the third, if not the 
second power in the world ; and it is rapidly preparing to contend 
for the first place. It is customary to speak of England, France, 
Russia, Prussia, and Austria, as 'the five great powers,' and in 
diplomatic science to regard these as the only states which are 
competent to take the initiative in political matters. It is time 
for us to amend our classification. Nations take rank according 
to their powers of mischief — a strange standard for a Christian 
people in the nineteenth century, but in the logic of accepted 
statesmanship the only true one. Yet even in this, the United 
States yield to no power in Europe. 

" In naval resources, America is second only to England. It has 
a territory larger and infinitely richer than that of Russia, more 
compact and defensible than that of France. It is active, wealthy, 
and progressive; has no fiscal difficulties to embarrass it, no pub- 
lic debt, no governmental taxation. 

/ " In natural resources, fertility of soil, salubrity of climate, 
mineral wealth, fine harbors, means of inland navigation, the 
country of the United States is not inferior to any other of equal 
extent of territory in the world. Her income exceeds her expend- 
iture. With her immense possessions to protect ; with her vast 
frontier line on the west, resting on an uncivilized country ; with 
her large extent of sea and river coast, and commerce on all the 
oceans to cover, she only finds it necessary to keep a permanent 
military and naval establishment of 7500 men each, a total for all 
purposes of defense of 15,000, or about one-third the number of 
English commissioned officers ! To one educated in the midst of 
the military system of Europe, this would seem to indicate paucity 
of resources and poverty of defense. Truly, it indicates just the 
contrary. The Anglo-American republic has no use for armies. 
In the Old World these costly appendages of power are kept up 
for police purposes, for internal coercion, rather than for foreign 
defense. Political equals need no standing armies to keep them 
in order. Free institutions are the best bulwarks." 

What is to be the future influence of a nation thus formed and 
forming, it is impossible to compute. Even now its sails whiten 
every sea, its productions are found in every land, its sons traverse 
the globe, some as sailors and merchants, some as travelers and 
men of science, some as diplomatists and politicians, some as min- 
isters of the Gospel and missionaries of the Cross. If it be not 
elevated by Christianity, with her twin products, freedom and vir- 
tue, it will be vicious, and powerful only for evil ; nay, it will fall, 
and dr; g other nations with it to destruction. But should truth 



30 THE WORLD WE LIVE LIST. 



and righteousness prevail, and the blessings of civil and religions 
freedom be perpetuated, then it will become the glory of all lands, 
the Jerusalem of the West, the Thermopylae of the world. 

In referring to the discovery of America by Columbus, we 
stated that that great event was associated with other discoveries 
which exerted an immense influence on the destiny of the race. 
It is worthy of observation that the recent rapid progress of the 
United States, the acquisition of California, and the immense ex- 
tension of our territory to the south and west, have been associated 
with one of the most stupendous discoveries of the age, the elec- 
tric telegraph, which is itself the result of the great discoveries in 
electro-magnetism, and intimately associated with the application 
of steam to purposes of transportation by sea and land. On this 
account we cannot help contrasting our present progress, through 
these surprising instrumentalities which have linked all parts of 
the country in what we hope will prove indissoluble bonds, with 
the state of things in the days of Fulton, whose successful exper- 
iment on the North River gave such an impetus to commerce and 
discovery. 

Fulton's first boat was " a queer-looking craft," and while on 
the stocks excited much attention, and not a little ridicule. When 
she was launched, and the steam-engine placed in her, that was 
regarded with the same feelings as the boat built to float it. 
Public curiosity was greatly excited. When the New York news- 
papers announced that the boat would start from the foot of 
Cortlandt-street, at half past six on Friday morning the 4th of 
September, and take passengers to Albany, there was "a broad 
smile" on every face, when the inquiry was made, if any would be 
fool enough to risk himself in her. A Quaker met a young gen- 
tleman of his acquaintance in the street, who talked of going, and 
said to him, with the utmost gravity — " John, wilt thee risk thy 
life in such a concern? I tell thee, she is the most fearful ivild- 
fowl living, and thy father ought to restrain thee." On Friday 
morning the wharves, piers, house-tops, indeed, every spot which 
could be occupied in view of " the strange craft," were crowded 
with spectators. There were twelve berths, and the fare was 
seven dollars. The whole machinery was uncovered and exposed 
to view, and, in comparison with modern improvements, were 
awkward enough. The forward part was covered by a deck, 
which gave shelter to the hands ; the after part was fitted up, in 
a rough way, for passengers. The entrance into the cabin was 
from the stern, in front of the steersman, who worked a tiller as 
in an ordinary sloop. Dense masses of smoke issued from the 
chimney, steam escaped from every valve and crevice of the 



THE UNITED STATES. 31 



poorly constructed engine. Fulton was on hand, eager and de- 
cided, with his peculiarly sharp, clear voice, heard above the 
noise of the engine and the hum of the multitude. He heeded 
not the doubt, fear, curiosity, contempt, and sarcasm of those 
about him, but made his preparations for departure with vigor. 
It was a crisis in his life, a crisis in the progress of discovery and 
civilization. 

Every thing being ready, the engine was started on its perilous 
movement, and the boat moved slowly but steadily from the 
wharf. As she turned up the river and was fairly under way, 
there arose such a huzza from the dense multitude as made the 
whole welkin ring. Fulton stood upon the deck, with swelling 
bosom and flashing eye, as he gazed upon the multitude ; he felt 
that the crisis was passed, and his name written upon the annals 
of fame. But he was silent, and the peculiar expression of his 
countenance alone indicated what was passing in his mind. 

Coming up Haverstraw Bay, a man was waiting for them in a 
skiff. He happened to be a miller, and being taken on board, was 
actually persuaded, by a facetious Irishman, that the whole thing 
was a floating corn-mill. He wanted to see the mill-stones ; but 
the other quickly replied — "That is a secret the master," pointing 
to Fulton, " has not told us yet ; but when we come back from 
Albany with a load of corn, then, if you come on board, you'll 
see the meal fly !" 

As they passed West Point the whole garrison was out, and 
cheered them as they passed. At Newburg it seemed as if all 
Orange county was out ; the entire hill-side was animated with 
life. The river was covered with every sort of water-craft ; the 
ferry-boat from Fishkill was filled with ladies. Fulton, who was 
engaged seeing a passenger landed, did not observe the boat until 
she bore up nearly alongside ; turning around, the waving of so 
many handkerchiefs, and the smiles of bright and happy faces, 
struck him with surprise ; he raised his hat, with a smile, and ex- 
claimed — " That is the finest sight we have seen yet." 

In his letter to Barlow (22d August, 1807), Fulton adds: 
" My steamboat voyage to Albany has turned out rather more 
favorably than I had calculated. The distance to Albany is 150 
miles ; I ran up in thirty -two hours. I had a light breeze against 
me the whole way going and coming, so that no use was made of 
my sails ; and this voyage has been performed wholly by the 
power of the steam-engine. I overtook many sloops and schoon- 
ers beating to the windward, and passed them as if they had been 
at anchor." 

And now the North River, and indeed all the navigable rivers 



32 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



of the country, are covered with floating palaces ; and, not content 
with these means of communication, long lines of railroad are laid, 
not only across the country, but even along the banks of some of 
our largest rivers. In the valley of the Mississippi alone there are 
16,000 miles of steamboat navigation fully occupied. Europe and 
America are united by steam ; and far out in the wilds of Oregon 
and California the silence of the primeval forests is disturbed by 
its presence. 

In the United States the progress of railway construction is 
equally astonishing. A line of 563 miles in length connects Bos- 
ton and Buffalo, and presently will dip into the margin of Lake 
Michigan, 500 miles further west. In the State of Michigan a 
railway is in operation across the entire State. Detroit will be 
connected with Buffalo by the Canadian Railway and a suspension 
bridge below the Falls of Niagara ; Boston with Montreal by the 
Northern, Vermont Central, and La Prairie' Railway, and steam 
navigation on the St. Lawrence ; and the same city with New 
York by the New Haven and -Long Island road. New York, 
seeing that she must become impoverished under the enterprise 
of Massachusetts, which is draining off her Western trade, is unit- 
ing her commercial emporium with Albany and Lake Erie. Phil- 
adelphia is extending a railway to Pittsburg, 335 miles, 108 of 
which are now constructed ; and it is contemplated to extend con- 
nections with it to Cincinnati and St. Louis. From Baltimore two 
lines of railway branch out, north and south, one running 506 
miles into Maine, the other 420 miles to Wilmington, North Car- 
olina. A branch goes west from Baltimore toward the Alleghany 
Mountains, at present completed 180 miles, and will soon reach 
the Ohio. In South Carolina a railroad is completed to Augusta, 
136 miles, and others are rapidly extending their branches north 
and east through the State. Georgia, taking up the work where 
South Carolina terminates it, at Augusta, extends railways through 
her entire territory, north to the Tennessee line, west to Columbus, 
on the Chattahooche, and south in the direction of Pensacola. 
By these various lines travelers will soon, at an expense of fifty 
dollars, in one hundred hours pass with comfort and safety from 
New York to New Orleans. 

Fifty years ago, there were in the United States little more than 
2000 or 3000 clergymen, of all denominations, preaching the Gos- 
pel ; now there are over 20,000. Newspapers were confined to 
the larger cities and the more cultivated regions of the country ; 
now they are spread by millions and myriads to the remotest cor- 
ners of the north, south, east, and west. The anticipations of the 
poet of Hope, with reference to this country, regarded, perhaps, 



THE UNITED STATES. 33 



by many as mere declamation or poetical extravagance, have been 
more than realized : — 

" On Erie's banks, where tigers steal along, 
And the dread Indian chants a dismal song ; 
Where human fiends on midnight errands walk, 
And bathe in brains the murderous tomahawk ; 
There shall the flocks on thymy pastures stray, 
And shepherds dance at summer's opening day ; 
Each wandering genius of the lonely glen 
Shall start to view the glittering haunts of men, 
And silent, watch, on woodland hights around, 
The village curfew as it tolls profound."* 

Imperfections enough and evils enough, some of them, it may 
be, deep and direful, we certainly have in this fair land ; and what 
disastrous changes may issue from some of them we cannot tell — 
but the good predominates. The hand of God is in our history ; 
and we cannot resist the conviction that a lofty career and a glo- 
rious destiny are before us. Slavery, indeed, is a disturbing influ- 
ence ; the problem as to its disposal is not yet solved. Our very 
Union is threatened with dissolution ; yet what well-informed 
person really believes that such threat can be fulfilled ? In our 
own deliberate judgment, the dissolution of the Union is a moral 
impossibility. The Union is the growth of ages ; its roots strike 
deep into the soil amid the granite rocks of New England, beneath 
the prairies of the West, and the savannas of the South. Its 
gnarled and massive trunk rises high into the encircling heavens, 
and its wide-spread branches droop over land and sea. Can 
words, then, dissolve it, as if it were gossamer ? Can resolutions, 
nay, more, can treason and insurrections, the winds and storms of 
political agitation, tear up its roots and scatter its branches, as if 
it were a sapling or a gourd ? The leaves may tremble with the 
fury of the blast, nay, its strong limbs may quiver and bend, but 
its mighty roots will only strike deeper into the heart of the earth, 
and its lofty trunk rise higher and stronger in the serene and pu- 
rified atmosphere. 

* Campbell's Pleasures of Hope. 
2* 



34 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



CHAPTER III. 



NEW ENGLAND STATES, 



We propose now to take a rapid excursion among the various 
States and Territories of " the Union," in which we shall find the 
same great elements of prosperity and power, though with con- 
siderable diversity of character and attainments. Much of the 
United States, both physically, morally, and socially, is in a sort 
of unformed or transition state ; and it would be folly to expect, 
in every part, the refinements of advanced civilization. Where 
the school-house and the log-hut, the church and the wilderness, 
as in several states and territories, are side by side, we must look 
for much that is immature and defective. In all, however, we 
shall discover traces of order, energy, and enterprise ; and in some 
marks of the highest improvement. 




Arms of Maine. 



First, then, we plunge amid the green valleys and wide-spread 
forests of Maine, a State much of which is yet a wilderness, having 
an area as large as the rest of all New England, with its long- 
reach of sea-board, indented with creeks and bays, and having 
some of the finest harbors in the country, its deep and beautiful 
rivers, its thriving towns and villages, and, above all, its industrious 
and enterprising inhabitants. Let any one sail, by steamboat or 
other water-craft, up and down the Kennebec and Penobscot 
rivers, and he will meet as picturesque scenery, and as attractive 
towns and villages, nestling among the tufted trees, as can any 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 35 



where greet the eye. The country, indeed, in many parts, espe- 
cially toward the north, is comparatively new and wild ; but, in 
most places, you behold tokens of energy and improvement. 
Maine has great internal resources. Between the Kennebec and 
Penobscot is a tract of land not exceeded in fertility by the best 
portions of the United States. Vast quantities of pine and other 
lumber are floated down its long-reaching rivers. With a sea- 
coast of 230 miles, indented with spacious bays, and protected by 
numerous islands, it affords great facilities for ship-building and 
commerce. In the interior, and to the north of the State, are 
many fine ponds and lakes. Indeed, it is computed that one- 
tenth of the surface of the State is covered with water. It has 
three colleges, several academies, one or two theological institu- 
tions, and a good system of common-school education. Its people, 
who are rapidly increasing, are an energetic, thriving race. They 
are of the true Yankee stock, and possess all the requisites for 
prosperity and happiness. Ardently attached to liberty, and dis- 
posed to form their own opinions for themselves on all matters, 
civil, social, and religious, they are essentially democratic in 
then notions and habits. Like the rest of the New Englanders, 
they are somewhat given to roving, and may be found in all parts 
of the Union, and in many portions of the world besides ; but they 
greatly love their native land, and often return to it, with all the 
fondness of a first love, to spend the evening of their days among 
its trees and streams, and lay their bones in the sepulchers of their 
fathers. 

Enter any of the thriving cities or villages on the banks of the 
Kennebec, such as Bath, Gardiner, Hallowell, or Augusta, the 
last of which is the capital, and you will see at a glance that they 
are " going ahead" in commerce, trade, manufactures, education, 
and religion. Every place is well supplied with schools, churches, 
and other evidences of moral and social advancement. 

Maine, though of recent growth, is not altogether undistin- 
guished in literature. We have not space to enumerate all her 
gifted sons ; but pass into the city of Portland, and, by a little in- 
quiry, you will find that it is the birth-place, if not the residence, 
of a group of men of genius. Among these is John JSeal, bold, 
energetic, vigorous, and free, somewhat careless, indeed, " throwing 
out diamonds and stones at random," but occasionally rising to great 
beauty and pathos ; Longfellow, regarded by some as the first of 
American poets, with his foreign air and exquisite melody, rolling 
off, in harmonious numbers, the " Voices of the Night," or singing 
a clear and thrilling chant for liberty and truth ; N. P. Willis, 
with all his dilettanteisms, a true poet, and a man of genius, 



36 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



whose lines to his Mother and Scriptural Sketches are among the 
most beautiful things in the language ; William Cutter, a writer 
of excellent promise, though not, perhaps, equal to the first-named 
three ; Isaac McLellan, a true child of song ; Grenville and Fred- 
erick Mellen, both known in the literature of their country ; and 
Seba Smith, with his lady, Mrs. Seba Smith, some of whose pieces 
have much of the fine expression and delicate flow which the 
critics ascribe to the poet Moore.* 

Other distinguished men belong to Portland, but we cannot 
name them now, nor is it necessary, as those already mentioned 
reflect upon her sufficient honor. George B. Cheeve'r, whose 
"Wanderings of a Pilgrim" are written with great force and 
beauty, is a native of Hallowell, on the Kennebec River. 




mm 






Water ville College, Me. 

We pass now into the Green Mountains of Vermont, so called 
from the evergreens with which they are crowned. Here we dis- 
cover much rough but beautiful scenery, particularly in the region 
of Lake Champlain, lying partly in Vermont and among the Green 
Mountains, which run, in an unbroken range, between the Con- 
necticut River on the east, and Lake Champlain on the west, and 
stretching into Massachusetts. 

Vermont is celebrated for her " Green Mountain Boys," brave 
and undaunted souls, who love their home, much in the spirit of 
William Tell and the natives of Switzerland. It was settled by 
emigrants from Massachusetts, and, as its lands were claimed by 

* We find, on examination, that Grenville Mellen was born in Biddeford, 
Maine. We may add that Mrs. Seba Smith, author of " The Sinless Child," 
was born in a small village near Portland. 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



37 




Arms of Vermont. 

some of the neighboring States, it had a difficult part to play in the 
Revolutionary struggle. At the commencement of the war, Con- 
gress dared not admit Vermont into the Union, for fear of offend- 
ing the other States. The British endeavored, but in vain, to de- 
tach it from the American confederacy. The Green Mountain 
Boys proved their patriotism by their daring conduct in the hour 
of trial; and in 1791, Vermont was admitted into the Union, 
whose independence she had aided to secure. 

The soil of this State is generally fertile, even among the mount- 
ains, but is better adapted to grazing than to grain. It has some 
fine towns, the chief of which are Montpelier, Windsor, Burling- 
ton, Rutland, and Woodstock. The climate in winter is severe, 
but healthful ; and in summer, bracing and delightful. Vermont 
is not behind her sister States in the matter of education. Her 
colleges, or universities, at Burlington, Middlebury, and Norwich, 
though not large, are thriving institutions. Among all her hills, 
the humble school-house and the heaven-aspiring church adorn 
the landscape. In the Revolutionary struggle, the Green Mount- 
ain Boys distinguished themselves by their daring bravery. 

Vermont can lay claim to some celebrated literary men, among 
whom are Dr. James Marsh, Hon. George P. Marsh, George 
Bush, Thomas C. Upham, and Rufus Choate. The well-known 
0. E. Brownson is a native of this State. James Marsh and 
Thomas Upham have distinguished themselves in mental and moral 
philosophy ; Bush and Brownson by their speculations in religion, 
and startling changes of opinion ; and Choate by his rich and 
vehement style of forensic eloquence. 

Both in Vermont and in Maine, manufactures have made some 



38 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



progress, and are destined to yet further increase. The people, 
generally, are moral, industrious, and enterprising. The climate 
and country are favorable to the development of a hardy and vir- 
tuous race. 




Arms of New Hampshire. 

But New Hampshire, " the Old Granite State," as her citizens 
love to call it, attracts us ; not " old" in the proper sense of the 
word, for this is only an expression of endearment and veneration, 
"but young, vigorous, and thriving. The glory of New Hamp- 
shire, next to her free institutions and evangelical faith, is her 
"White Mountains," the loftiest and most romantic east of the 
Mississippi, with old Monadnoc towering to the sky, and Mount 
Washington, the highest and grandest of the range, overlooking 
the surrounding hills and vales. Many fine streams water the 
valleys of New Hampshire, among which the Merrimac is pre- 
eminent, being famed at once in song and story, and, what is of 
more immediate practical utility, driving the. water-wheels and 
spindles of innumerable mills, giving wealth to many, and em- 
ployment to more. Whittier, the amiable and gifted Quaker poet, 
belongs in part to New Hampshire, and has immortalized the 
Merrimac in his exquisite verse : — * 

" Stream of my fathers ! sweetly still 
The sunset rays thy valley fill ; 
Pour'd slantwise down the long defile, 
Wave, wood, and spire beneath them smile. 
I see the winding Powow fold 
The green hill in its belt of gold ; 

* He was born on the banks of the Merrimac, in Haverhill, Mass. ; but 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as finked by the Merrimac, bear a very 
similar character. 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 33 



And following down its wavy line, 
Its sparkling waters blend with thine. 
There 's not a tree upon thy side, 
Nor rock which thy returning tide, 
As yet, hath left abrupt and stark 
Above thy evening water-mark ; 
No calm cove with its rocky hem; 
No isle, whose emerald swells begem 
Thy broad, smooth current ; not a sail, 
Bow'd to the freshening ocean gale ; 
No small boat with its busy oars, 
Nor gray wall sloping to thy shores; 
Nor farm-house, with its maple shade, 
Or rigid poplar colonnade, 
But lies distinct and full in sight, 
Beneath this gush of sunset light !" 

New Hampshire claims the honor of giving birth to Joseph C. 
Neal, author of " Charcoal Sketches," and, above all, Daniel Web- 
ster, whose colossal intellect and commanding eloquence have 
won the admiration of the civilized world. Like her sister New 
England States, New Hampshire has paid much attention to her 
common schools, and has a prosperous college in the town of 
Dartmouth. Phillips Academy, at Exeter, is the best endowed 
institution of the land in the United States, and has sent out many 
fine scholars. The State is chiefly agricultural in its character, 
though not without considerable manufactures along the courses 
of her streams. Immense quantities of lumber, from her exten- 
sive forests, are exported to other parts of the country. Pine 
woods are abundant, and frequently grow to the hight of two 
hundred feet. The whole State is beautified by a great varjety of 
thriving forest-trees, especially maples, beeches, birches, and so 
forth, mingled with evergreens, which, in the fall, when touched 
by evening frosts, present, on the mountain-sides, the most gor- 
geous appearance. " In this country," says Dr. Dwight, who has 
given an animated description of the White Mountains, " it is often 
among the most splendid beauties of nature. All the leaves of 
trees which are not evergreens are, by the first severe frost, 
changed from their verdure toward the perfection of that color 
which they are capable ultimately of assuming, through yellow, 
orange, and red, to a pretty, deep brown. As the frost affects 
different trees, and the different leaves of the same tree, in very 
different degrees, a vast multitude of tinctures are commonly found 
on those of a single tree, and always on those of a grove or forest. 
These colors also, in all their varieties, are generally full, and, in 
many instances, are among the most exquisite which are found in 
the regions of nature. Different sorts of trees are susceptible of 



40 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



different degrees of this beauty. Among them, the maple is pre- 
eminently distinguished by the prodigious variety, the finished 
beauty, and the intense luster of its hues, varying through all the 
dyes, between a rich green and the most perfect crimson, or, more 
definitely, the red of the prismatic image. There is, however, a 
sensible difference in the beauty of this appearance of nature, in 
different parts of the country, even when the forest-trees are the 
same. I have seen no tract where its splendor was so highly 
finished, as in the region which surrounds the little town of 
Lancaster, for a distance of thirty miles. The colors are more 
varied and more intense, and the numerous evergreens furnish, 
in their deep hues, the best groundwork of the picture. I 
have remarked that the annual foliage on these mountains had 
been already changed by the frost. Of course the darkness 
of the evergreens was finely illumined by the brilliant yellow of 
the birch, the beech, and the cherry, and the more brilliant orange 
and crimson of the maple. The effect of this universal diffusion 
of gay and splendid light was to render the preponderating deep 
green more solemn. The mind, encircled by this scenery, irresist- 
ibly remembered that the light was the light of decay, autumnal 
and melancholy. The dark was the gloom of evening, approxi- 
mating to night. Over the whole the azure of the sky cast a deep 
misty blue, blending toward the summits every other hue, and 
predominated over all." 

This elaborate description will give some conception of the au- 
tumnal glories peculiar to the whole of New England, but seen in 
all their magnificence among the White Mountains. They are 
evanescent, however, as the dreams of youth, and leave the mount- 
ains bleak and bare, or whitened by the heavy snows of the north- 
ern winter. Then the merry sleigh-bells ring among the valleys, 
and the hardy sons of the forests chase the deer, or the bear, 
among the cold, rugged cliffs. After all, it is a bleak and some- 
what forbidding country, and far inferior to Italy, and even to 
England in " cultured beauty." Still, it is " the nursery of giant 
men," the home of freedom, the haunt of virtue. 

" ! greener hills may catch the sun 

Beneath the glorious heaven of France ; 
And streams rejoicing as they run 

Like lite beneath the day-beam's glance, 
May wander where the orange bough 
With golden fruit is bending low ; 
And there may bend a brighter sky 
O'er green and classic Italy — 
And pillar'd fane and ancient grave 

Bear record of another time, 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 41 



And over shaft and architrave 

The green luxuriant ivy climb ; 
And far toward the rising sun 

The palm may shake its leaves on high, 
Where flowers are opening one by one, 

Like stars upon the twilight sky ; 
And breezes soft as sighs of love 

Above the broad banana stray, 
And through the Brahmin's sacred grove 

A thousand bright-hued pinions play ! 
Yet unto thee, New England, still 

Thy wandering sons shall stretch their arms, 
And thy rude chart of rock and hill 

Seem dearer than the land of palms ; 
Thy massy oak and mountain pine 

More welcome than the banyan's shade, 
And every free, blue stream of thine 

Seem richer than the golden bed 
Of Oriental waves, which glow 

And sparkle with the wealth below !" 

Whittier. 

New Hampshire, sometimes called the Switzerland of America, 
has ever been true to freedom, and her sweet native minstrels have 
"sunsr it round the world." 




Arms of Massachusetts. 



But of all the New England States, Massachusetts, perhaps, is 
the most distinguished : first, by her memories of the olden time, 
Plymouth, Boston, Lexington, and Bunker's Hill ; and secondly, 
by her renown in all the walks of literature, and especially in the 
perfection of her system of common-school education. Here, in 
the days which tried men's souls, was "rocked," in old Faneuil 
Hall, the cradle of the Revolution. Here, brave men fought and 
fell, on the hights of Charlestown ; and here the wise and the 



42 THE WORLD WE LIVE ES - . 



good pledged their lives and sacred honor in the cause of freedom 
and independence. Here, too, first settled the pilgrim fathers, 
and laid the foundations of enduring prosperity in religion and vir- 
tue. Here, they first founded schools and colleges " for the glory 
of God," and the " better ordering of the commonwealth."* And 
here patient and heroic men have proved the power and perma- 
nence of self-government, as the highest element of national pros- 
perity and happiness. Dear old Bay State, with thy poor soil 
and rocky shores, whose chief productions and exports are said to 
be granite and ice, thou hast won for thyself, by industry and re- 
ligion, a crown of imperishable glory. 

" Rough, bleak, and cold," says her poet, Whittier — 

" Rough, bleak, and cold, our little state 
Is hard of soil, of limits strait ; 
Her yellow sands are sands alone, 
Her only mines are ice and stone. 

But on her rocks, and on her sands 
And stormy hills, the school-house stands, 
And what her rugged soil denies, 
The harvest of the mind supplies. 

For well she keeps her ancient stock, 
The stubborn strength of Pilgrim Rock ; 
And still maintains with milder laws 
And clearer light, the Good Old Cause ! 

ISTor heeds the skeptic's puny hands 

While near her school the church spire stands ; 

Nor fears the blinded bigot's rule 

While near the church spire stands the school !" 

In the days of old, indeed, Massachusetts, false to her funda- 
mental principles, persecuted the Quakers and Baptists. The 
Puritans, good as they were, banished the noble and learned Roger 
Williams from their soil ; but all these things have passed away 
long ago. They were shadows on the disk of the sun ; and now 
over all the hills and vales of Massachusetts shines the full efful- 
gence of civil and religious freedom. The spirit of the Pilgrim 
State was ever one of enlightenment and liberty, and it could not 
but work itself clear of all the mists and obscurities of error. The 
church and school have been the pillar of cloud by day, and the 
pillar of fire by night, to lead her forth into the full possession of 

* Harvard University, the largest (except Yale, perhaps) and the best 
endowed institution in the country, was founded in 1638, eighteen years 
after the first landing on Plymouth Rock. 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 43 



truth and right. What a long procession of great and good men — 
statesmen, divines, and scholars, poets, orators, and teachers — see 
we issuing from her homes and schools ! Here are the Hancocks 
and Adamses, the Franklins and Quincys, the Ameses and Storys, 
the Mathers and Channings, the Bancrofts and Prescotts, the 
Spragues and Lowells, the Everetts and Danas, the Wares and 
Allstons, the Sedgwicks and Hawthornes, the Emmonses and Stu- 
arts, the Beechers and Paysons, the Whipples and Bowens, the 
Pierces and Manns, of ancient and of modern times. It is no small 
distinction to have given birth to William C. Bryant, William Bow- 
ditch, and John Quincy Adams, and, with all his crudities and 
absurdities, to that singular and wayward child of genius, Ralph 
Waldo Emerson. In the estimation of angels, perhaps, it is a 
higher distinction still, to have nursed in her bosom the first 
American missionaries, and given to the homage and admiration 
of the world such men as John Elliott, William Brainard, and 
Adoniram Judson. 

Massachusetts can boast the possession of several distinguished 
academies and colleges, and, with one exception, the largest and 
best endowed university in the country. Her system of common 
schools is nobly conceived and generously supported. Here every 
child may receive a thorough education, and, if possessed of gifts, 
may rise to the highest distinctions of learning. The larger towns 
and cities have expended immense sums on their schools, and are 
daily reaping the fruits in the intelligence, industry, and enterprise 
of the people.* Commerce and manufactures every where pros- 

* "We append the following statement of the relative proportion, in dif- 
ferent countries, of pupils to the whole population. Of course it is only an 
approximation to the actual state of the case, but will probably be found, 
in the main, correct. It is derived from a Scottish journal. 

1. State of Maine, .' 1 to 3 

2. " New Hampshire, 1 — 3 

3. " New York, 1— 3i 

4. " Massachusetts, 1 — 4 

5. " Vermont, 1 — 4 

6. " Ohio, 1—4 

V. " New Jersey, 1 — 5 

8. Canton of Zurich, 1- — 5 

9. " Argau, 1 — 5J 

10. Saxony, 1— 5-£ 

» 11. Bohemia, 1 — 5^ 

12. Prussia, 1 — 6 

13. Canton of Vaud, 1—6 

14. Baden, 1—6 

1/ Wurtemburg, 1 — 7 

1 . Denmark, 1 — 7 



44 THE WOELD WE LIVE IX. 



per. The growth of such manufacturing towns as Lowell, Law- 
rence, and Hadley Falls, is really astonishing. Situated on the 
south bank of the Merrimac, Lowell has sprung into existence 
and prosperity, only within a few years, with a rapidity and energy 
more like the work of magic than reality. In 1820 Lowell was 
scarcely known as a village with about 200 souls. Now it is the 
second city in New England, and has a population of 30,000. In 
twenty years its population increased a hundred-fold ; the value of 
its property during the same period was enhanced one hundred 
and twenty-fold. Its motive power is supplied by a broad and 
deep canal from the falls of the Merrimac, a little above the city — 
a motive power capable of turning 300,000 spindles. New com- 
panies are constantly springing up to avail themselves of this pro- 
digious force. Thousands of males, and especially females, from the 
country towns, not only of Massachusetts, but of Maine and New 
Hampshire, here find employment ; and as a proof of their thrift 
and virtue, the greater portion of their earnings is deposited in 
savings banks.* They generally make it the stepping-stone to 
something better, and generally return to their old homes, to glad- 
den the hearts of those they love, or go off with their husbands 
to the West to buy farms, and rise in the world. A literary paper 
has been conducted for years by the females alone, and, from its 
vigorous and moral character, proves, conclusively, that there is 
both " mind" and " heart" among the spindles. Every facility is 



17. Norway 

18. Bavaria, 

19. Holland, 

20. Pennsylvania 

21. Switzerland generally, . 

22. Austria, 

23. Belgium, 

24. England, 

25. Scotland (in 1834), 

26. Lombardy, 

27. Ireland, 

28. France 



to 7 

— 7 

— 8 

— 9 

— 9 
—10 

—104 

— 11 

— 11 
—124 
— 13| 
-134 



* " In the city of Lowell, a city not thirty years old yet, there are two 
savings institutions, which have five thousand two hundred and sixty-five 
depositors. The amount of money deposited, according to the returns just 
published by the Secretary of State, is eight hundred and sixty-eight 

THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO DOLLARS AND FORTY-ONE CENTS. Yes, 

$868,262 41. Aside from this, there is not a mill in Lowell in "which the 
operatives at work therein do not own a part of the stock. In the Merri- 
mac Mills alone, there are upward of seventy thousand dollars of the 
stock owned by operatives. Then they own largely in the Lowell Railroad 
and in other railroads, also bank and other stocks." 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 45 



afforded them for mental and moral improvement. Several socie- 
ties for literary and other purposes have been established among 
themselves. Lowell has eight grammar-schools, mostly free, and 
thirty public free schools, where the rich and the poor may meet 
together and enjoy the benefits of a thorough educational training. 
The number of children attending the free schools is about 6000, 
and this out of a population of 30,000 ! And now Lawrence and 
Hadley Falls have sprung into existence, under the same influences, 
and are destined to rival Lowell itself. The Connecticut River has 
been dammed, and its mighty stream turned among the spindles ; 
already stores, churches, and schools are springing up on the 
banks of the beautiful river, as the immediate result of the enter- 
prise. 



CHAPTER IV. 

NEW ENGLAND STATES CONTINUED. 

But Boston, the capital of the State, " the Athens of New Eng- 
land," demands our attention; for here are concentrated the best 
elements of New England character, intelligence, energy, and re- 
finement. Ascend the state-house, and look around, on the vast 
and beautiful panorama which every where greets the eye. Sur- 
rounded by a coronet of attractive villages, and reposing on islands 
of the sea, or land won from the waves, Boston looks like a queen 
upon her throne. Beautiful for situation, with a glorious mingling 
of land and water, fine buildings and shady trees, a spacious com- 
mon, and magnificent environs, few cities are more attractive and 
delightful. Blending, too, the olden with the modern times, by 
means of Faneuil Hall, the state-house, and Bunker Hill, with 
old Harvard in the distance, and the wide-spread bay, gleaming 
in the sunlight, and dotted with vessels, the whole city is invested 
with the most interesting and stirring associations. 

The following "glimpses of the past," which we take from 
an authentic source, will give some idea of ancient manners, and 
of the spirit and progress of New England society. 

" It is pleasant, if not profitable, occasionally to recur to the 
past, and to trace, in the moldy volume of old Time, the influ- 
ences of far-off events upon the time that is. How eloquent at 



THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



times is ' still life !' The old wooden mansion of Gov. Hancock, 
in Beacon-street, is more eloquent and attractive in its venerable 
dilapidation, than the 'swelled fronts' of its more fashionable 
neighbors. Who that has the imagination of an ordinary mortal 
does not, while sauntering, fancy-free, upon our upper mall on 
Boston Common, see this old edifice peopled by beings of other 
days, and of other ways than those we live in ; and as their figures 
darken the portal, or flit by the antiquated windows, feel an im- 
pulse to doff the modern ' moleskin' (no longer beaver) before the 
venerable cocked-hat of a by-gone generation ; to say nothing of 
the silver buckles that braced the 'hinges of the knee,' or sat, in 
massive state, upon the summit of the instep ? ' High in the in- 
step' is with us a current phrase, expressive of pride ; — can it have 
any reference to the buckles of our grandsires ? The tout ensemble 
of their attire was imposing. The cocked-hat looked defiant, and 
the buckle, clasping the circlet of the knee, seemed to indicate the 
stubbornness of a joint unused to bend under the men of those 
days, save only in the attitude of prayer and thanksgiving to the 
God of heaven. Add to this the buckle on the instep, imparting an 
aspect of strength to the pedestal, and, from the summit to the 
base, the full stature of a man stands before you firm as the 
marble. Old Major Melville was the 'last of the cocked-hats' 
of Boston. We remember him well — and what Bostonian does 
not? 

" ' But the old three-cornered hat, 
And the breeches — and all that — 
Were so queer !' 

" There is an ancient-looking cottage in the town of Weymouth, 
in this State, which furnishes the following traditionary anecdote. 
We are indebted to a friend for the recital of the facts (assured to 
be such) upon which our relation is founded. In 1*762 the chim- 
neys of the old edifice referred to furnished evidence, which would 
have been conclusive to the mind of Dean Swift, of the hospitality 
to be found within ; for the witty Dean, in describing the reaction 
in a house from short commons to good dinners, takes his cue 
from the chimneys, and breaks out, 

" ' Now chimneys smoked that never smoked before !' 

However applicable this line might be in this case, we know not ; 
but at the time referred to, the hospitality of the house was pre- 
sided over by a scion of that interminable race, the Smiths. It 
was then the residence of the Rev. Wm. Smith, a gentleman 
whose character is briefly and clearly summed up in his ' peculiar 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 47 



aristocratic feelings.' The reverend gentleman had two daugh- 
ters — Mary and Abigail. That they were attractive, either in 
their persons or their minds, or both, or from their family stand- 
ing, may be inferred from the fact that they both had suitors. 
Mary was betrothed to a young gentleman of wealth and station, 
to the great delight of her father. Abigail, in this latter particu- 
lar, was not so fortunate ; for she, poor maid, had given her heart, 
and promised her hand, to the son of an honest but humble farmer 
in the town of Quincy, which plebeian extraction ran counter to 
the current of the pure blood of the Smiths. However, Abigail's 
suitor was tolerated on this one ground, that he had forsaken the 
plough and was then passing through the study of the law. He 
was barely allowed ingress and egress to the house, but was de- 
nied the common rites of hospitality, or the old man's welcome. 
Even his poor horse, that had borne him on ' love's light wings' 
on those delightful errands from his native village, had to stand 
unsheltered in the winter s cold. This was very trying ; but love 
' increaseth by impediment,' and, this being the case, all the hos- 
pitality the young man wanted Abigail was abundantly able to 
supply. Mary's wealthy wooer, tout au contraire, was ever wel- 
come ; feasted upon the good things of Mr. Smith's table by spe- 
cial invitation, and hung his hat up as in his father's house. Thus, 
while the one sister was commended for her judicious choice by 
her father, and was sailing down the smooth current of joyful an- 
ticipation with her intended lord, the other was snubbed and cen- 
sured for her plebeian tastes and vulgar indiscretion in falling in 
love with one so much below her station, and saw the object of 
her choice treated with ' the proud man's contumely.' When the 
time had arrived that Mary was to be married, the Rev. Mr. Smith, 
in the plenitude of his joy, called his daughter to him, and gave 
her the privilege of choosing a text, from which he would preach 
a sermon on the interesting occasion, the Sabbath following the 
nuptials ; but she declined the offer, begging him to make his 
own selection. He did so ; and, true to his past policy, preached 
a sermon from the text, ' Mary hath chosen that good part, which 
shall not be taken from her,' in which he made some sharp hits at 
poor Abigail. Shortly after, Abigail's time came to be married to 
the young lawyer, whose name was John Adams, and she also had 
the privilege of choosing a text, Avhich she availed herself of by 
making the following retaliatory selection : — ' And John came 
neither eating nor drinking, and ye say he hath a devil !' Whether 
the old man preached from this text our informant saith not ; but 
it is chronicled that in the year 1764, John Adams, Esq., of 
Quincy, was united in the bands of wedlock, to Miss Abigail, sec- 



48 THE "WOULD WE LIVE IN". 



ond daughter of Rev. Wm. Smith, of Weymouth. We also find 
it recorded in the ' Lives of the Presidents,' that the farmer's son 
of Quincy became the successor of Washington, as President of 
the United States ; and that said Abigail, his wife, was his devoted 
partner for fifty-four years. 

" A letter from this excellent woman, written during the war, 
is preserved, from which we make the following extract. It 
breathes the spirit of the times, and shows how happily yoked 
she was with her energetic and indomitable husband. 

" ' Heaven is our witness,' she says, ' that we do not rejoice in 
the effusion of blood, or the carnage of the human species ; but 
having been forced to draw the sword, we are determined never 
to sheathe it slaves to Britain. Our cause is the cause of truth 
and justice, and will finally prevail, though the combined force of 
earth and hell should rise against it. To this cause I have sacri- 
ficed much of my own personal happiness, by giving up to the 
councils of America one of my dearest connections, and living 
more than three years in a state of widowhood.' 

" When we hear of the aristocracy of wealth, we are reminded 
that ' riches make to themselves wings and fly away ;' when as- 
sailed by the claims of rank, the lines recur : 

" ' The rank is but the guinea-stamp, 
The man's the gowd for a' that ;' 

and when the pride of lineage is the theme of panegyric, we fall 
back upon the common-sense epitaph of the poet Prior, written 
by himself : 

" 'Nobles and heralds, by your leave, 

Here lies what once was Matthew Prior ; 
• The son of Adam and of Eve, — 

Can Stuart or Nassau claim higher ?' " 

To this we add the following, touching "the good part" of 
Mary. The personage who became her husband was none other 
than Richard Cranch, father of the present judge, of Washington 
City, D. C, a very worthy and estimable man. "At the age of 
twenty years he came to America, under the charge of Joseph 
Palmer, his uncle, who was president of the Provincial Congress, 
and brigadier-general of the Massachusetts forces during our Rev- 
olution, through the whole of which he was an active participant, 
both in body and pocket, having expended freely his fortune in 
that cause. 

" The statement that ' Mary was betrothed to a young gentle- 
man of wealth and station,' is correct ; but Richard Cranch had 
obtained both of these prerequisites by personal application and 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 49 



industi-^ . He was by trade a watchmaker, then postmaster of 
Quincy and Braintree, finally, judge of the court of common pleas, 
and, by reputation, one of the best of men ; was of sufficient com- 
manding dignity of manners and deportment ; and, besides, of un- 
assuming piety, always observing morning and evening prayers in 
his family. His wealth consisted of the mansion in which he 
lived, with something of a farm attached. 

" The relationship of sisters and brothers-in-law — the Smiths, 
Adamses, and Cranches — was an unalloyed source of satisfaction ; 
and we cannot rightly infer that any animosity existed between 
the parties, fioAving from their relative position in society. What 
became of Mary and her ' good part,' I have endeavored to make 
plain ; their memory needs no record, but that imprinted upon 
the hearts of their descendants, and upon the tombstone beneath 
which they rest, after a good long pilgrimage of happiness through 
this life. Both daughters of the Rev. Wm. Smith were of supe- 
rior natural and acquired education, and, what was more, they 
were the most actively benevolent of their sex, of their time ; into 
whatever situation or embarrassment they were thrown, they 
were perfectly at home. For the benefit of our readers, and to 
show how well adapted the Smiths (both of resembling character) 
were for any position, we copy an original letter in our possession 
of the wife of the first President Adams ; it speaks for itself. 

" ' Haverhill, . 

" ' To William Cranch, Esq. 

" ' Dear Cousin : — We propose to visit Haverhill next week, 
and we wish you to purchase as much hay as you can procure for 
the inclosed bill, and put it into Mr. Shaw's barn. As we shall 
have three horses, we think it will be less expensive to us to get 
the hay than to send them to a tavern ; and we wish to have it 
there ready for us ; if you could engage us four bushels of oats, 
we will thank you. I should suppose five hundred will supply 
three horses for five or six days. 

" ' Yours affectionately, 

" ' A, Adams.' " 

To this private reminiscence, which has a peculiar interest of its 
own, as connected with the history of Massachusetts, we give a 
more public one. When John Hancock, at the signing of the 
Declaration of Independence, remarked with energy, that " there 
must be no pulling different ways, and that all must hang to- 
gether ;" " Yes," responded Franklin, in his peculiar way — " Yes, 
we must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately !" 

3 



50 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



In Boston may be seen the house and tomb of the New England 
patriot and philosopher. Let us descend through Beacon-street 
into Union- street, where, at the corner of Union and Hanover, 
you will see the very spot where the wonderful old printer spent 
his early years. It is a homely brick house of three stories, with 
small windows, and very small panes of glass in them, and the 
walls of a dirty yellow. Upon a gilded ball protruding from the 
corner you read, " Josias Franklin, 1698." The side of the house 
on Union-street remains as it was in the days of Franklin, but 
that on Hanover has been " shockingly" altered. John Knox's 
house in Edinburgh is covered with sign-boards, some of them 
announcing gin for sale ; and here, shades of the mighty dead ! is 
a bonnet warehouse ! In this house, then, " Poor Richard" grew 
in stature and wisdom, developing those peculiar traits of honesty, 
shrewdness, and intelligence which have given his name to immor- 
tality. Here he pondered over " Bunyan's Works," which he 
read in separate volumes, " Barton's Historical Collections," 
"small chapman's books, and cheap, forty volumes in all," " Plu- 
tarch's Lives," a book of De Foe's, called " An Essay on Proj- 
ects," and good old Dr. Mather's "Essay to do Good;" and 
where, too, " his lamp" (more probably his candle's end) was oft 
seen, as he sat up, at the dead of night, devouring the books 
which his friend, the bookseller's apprentice, used to lend him over 
night out of the shop, to be returned next morning. 

But we are forgetting "Boston present," with its 150,000 in- 
habitants, its extensive commerce, and, above all, its literary and 
moral eminence. From its settlement by the Puritans, education 
in Boston has received the constant attention of the citizens. Its 
public schools are of a higher character, and better supported, 
than those of any other city or considerable town in the Union. 
It is estimated that at least one-fourth of the entire population are 
kept at school during the year, at an expense of $200,000. Of 
the public free schools, the Latin High School, resting upon the 
broad basis of the Primary and the Grammar Schools, is pre- 
eminently distinguished. There the poorest boy in the city can 
be thoroughly fitted for college. It is under the direction of a 
principal, vice-principal, and four assistants. 

Boston has over a hundred literary and charitable societies ; in 
this respect, as in many others, strikingly resembling the " North- 
ern Athens," the metropolis of Scotland. The Boston Athenseum 
has a library of from 30,000 to 40,000 volumes, -with many ancient 
coins, medals, paintings, and so forth. Innumerable newspapers, 
literary journals, and reviews issue from Boston. It has about 
a hundred churches of all Christian denominations, characterized 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 51 



by a remarkable spirit of kindness and tolerance Boston, of 
course, has her faults, her vagaries, and absurdities. Reformers, 
the most ultra and excessive, swarm here ; but their very fanati- 
cism, the fanaticism of love, is a proof of the benevolence from 
which it springs. The literature of Boston, including history, 
philosophy, theology, and criticism, is known throughout the civil- 
ized world. The historians Bancroft, Sparks, and Prescott rank 
with the greatest masters of historic literature. Her poets, infe- 
rior only to Milton, Shakspeare, Schiller, and Wordsworth, will 
bear comparison with any of their class in the Old World. AU- 
ston and Greenough are distinguished in the arts ; Bowditch and 
Pierce in science ; Story in jurisprudence ; Choate and Webster, 
both identified with Boston, in forensic eloquence ; Bowen and 
Whipple in periodical literature and criticism. 

We have often been struck with the aspect of Boston on the 
Sabbath. It is, for its size, perhaps the quietest city in the world 
on that holy day, the spirit of decorum and repose reigning through 
all her streets, and indicating her high moral and religious char- 
acter. Then the voices of her Sabbath bells sound as sweetly as 
such bells are wont to do in the quiet retreats of rural life. 

" Hear the holy Sabbath bells — 

Sacred bells ! 
Oh, what a world of peaceful rest 

Their melody foretells ! 
How sweetly at the dawning 
Of a summer Sabbath morning 

Sounds the rhyming 

And the chiming of the bells ! 
How they peal out their delight 
At the happy, happy sight 
Of the citizens' commotion, 
As they wend to their devotion ! 
What emotions fill the breast, 

At the ringing 

And the singing ! 
And the solemn organ blending 
With the fervent prayer ascending 
To the God who made the Sabbath 
For the weary pilgrim's rest ! 
What joy — what pain the bosom swells, 
As fondly reminiscence dwells 
O'er the happy hours of childhood, 
When we heard those Sabbath bells !" 

Before leaving Boston and Massachusetts, we must linger a few 
moments in the quiet retreats of Mount Auburn, the Pere la 
Chaise of New England, and one of the most delightful monu- 



52 THE WORLD WE LIVE ITST. 



ments of her taste and piety. The beauty, the solemnity, the re- 
pose of these extensive grounds, so tastefully laid out, and so 
richly adorned with forest-trees, evergreens, and flowers, mingled 
with elegant and appropriate monuments in honor of the dead, do 
great credit to the head and heart of the New England metropo- 
lis. Here may be seen the appropriate monument of Spurzheim 
and that of Dr. Bowditch, whose fine meditative bust has a de- 
lightful effect among; the surrounding verdure. Here also are the 
tombs of Noah Worcester and the eloquent Dr. Channing. In 
these calm solitudes repose many of the distinguished men of 
Harvard University. Deeply hidden among the green foliage are 
several monuments and inscriptions of exquisite beauty. You 
come upon them occasionally with a feeling of sudden and de- 
lightful surprise. One of these has always affected us deeply : it 
is that of a beautiful child, represented, by the sculptor's device, 
lying upon her couch in that calm, deep sleep " which knows no 
waking," and beneath is the following inscription : 

" Shed not for me the bitter tear ; 
Give not the heart to vain regret ; 
'Tis but the casket that lies here — 
The gem that filled it sparkles yet !" 

On a plain slab are the simple but affecting words, " My Mother 
and my Sister." A magnificent granite monument marks the 
spot where that merchant prince, Mr. Lowell, founder of the 
Lowell Lectures, who died in Egypt, reposes among the sepul- 
chers of his people. Flowers are scattered all around — tokens of 
love, emblems of hope and heaven ; and forest birds, unconscious 
of sorrow and decay, are " singing among the branches." Many 
of the emblems on the tombs, and passages of Scripture, intimate 
the hope of the sleepers that they shall rise again, when " this 
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall 
have put on immortality." 

But we bid adieu to Massachusetts, and find ourselves in the 
small but spirited State of Rhode Island, " billow cradled," and 
fast anchored in the deep. "Little Rhody," as her own citizens 
sometimes call her, is the San Marino of the United States, and 
possesses at least one grand and lasting distinction, having been 
the early home of true "soul freedom" — the asylum, in the olden 
time, and in that age, the only one in the world, of entire liberty 
of conscience ; for all the other States of New England, though 
free in many respects, and aiming at the establishment of just and 
equal laws, misapprehended this fundamental principle, and ban- 
ished from their borders Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



53 




Arms of Rhode Island. 

Island, and the first asserter of entire religious freedom. Others 
had contended for liberty of conscience and the right of self-gov- 
ernment, in general terms, but none, till he, had fully and consist- 
ently separated the Church from the State, and insisted upon the 
amplest freedom of thought and liberty of speech. This glory 
belongs to Roger Williams and the State of Rhode Island. 

It was in January, 1636, "the sternest month of a New Eng- 
land winter," when Roger Williams left his wife and children in 
Salem, and went forth into the wilderness, the sole depository of 
that mighty principle which, under God, is yet to emancipate the 
world. " I was sorely tossed," he says, " for fourteen weeks, in a 
bitter winter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean." 
He would have perished amid the ice and snow of the forests, had 
it not been for the friendly aid of the Indians, whose friendship 
Williams had cultivated in the true spirit of Christian charity. 
" These ravens," says he, " fed me in the wilderness." He made 
his way first to the lodges of the Pokanokets, whose chief, Massa- 
soit, who had known Mr. Williams when he lived in Plymouth, and 
had often received presents and other tokens of kindness at his 
hands, received him with cordial hospitality, and granted him a 
tract of land on the Seekonk River, to which, in the opening of 
the spring, he repaired, and where he pitched his tent, and began to 
build and plant, and where also he was joined by some of his 
friends from Salem. 

But his corn was scarcely green when he was reminded that he 
was yet within the prohibited district of the persecuting Puritans. 
So, abandoning his new-found home without a murmur, he set sail 
in a canoe on the Seekonk River, for the other side of the water. 
Five others bore him company. As they glided along the silent 
waters of the Seekonk, Williams was hailed by some Indians from 



* 



54 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



the hights on the western bank of the stream, with the friendly- 
salutation, " What cheer, netop (friend) ? — what cheer ?" and soon 
after landed at the spot now called Slate Rock. After exchang- 
ing salutations with the Indians, and making inquiries respecting 
the country, he again embarked, coasting round the headlands 
known as Fox Point and India Point, up the harbor, to the mouth 
of Mooshausic River, on Narragansett Bay. Landing on the beauti- 
ful slope of the hill that ascends from the river, he descried the 
spring of water around which he commenced the first plantations 
of Providence. 

" A little distance north of what is now the center of the city, 
the spring is still pointed out which drew the attention of the 
humble voyagers of Seekonk. Here, after so many wanderings, 
was the weary exile to find a home, and to lay the foundations of 
a city which should be a perpetual memorial of pious gratitude to 
the superintending Providence which protected him and guided 
him to the spot. How changed is the scene in the lapse of two 
hundred years ! Art and wealth have covered with their beauti- 
ful mansions the hill-side that rose in luxuriant verdure before 
him, and Learning has. erected her halls upon its summit. The 
solitary place has become a thickly peopled city, the abode of 
wealth and elegance ; and instead of the deep silence of nature 
that then reigned over the scene, there are now heard, over hill, and 
plain, and water, the hum of the spindle, the bustle of trade, and 
the cheerful murmur of busy life." 

Rhode Island, for many years, prospered under its old colonial 
charter, which confined the right of suffrage to particular classes 
of the community. This was a source of difficulty some years 
ago, now happily removed. The new constitution is essentially 
similar to those of the other States, and " little Rhody" has before 
her a bright career of improvement and prosperity. Her com- 
merce is quite extensive, and her green fields support a numerous 
and thriving population. Somewhat late in organizing her system 
of common schools, it is now in successful operation. Providence 
is the second commercial city in New England. It boasts the pos- 
session of one of our ablest and most successful universities, at 
the head of which stands Dr. Francis Wayland, one of the most 
profound and vigorous writers in the country. Newport was the 
residence of the well-known Calvinist theologian, Dr. Hopkins, 
and the birth-place of the amiable and accomplished Channing. 
The Hon. Henry Wheaton, a distinguished scholar, and an able 
writer on international law, was a native of Rhode Island. The 
Hon. Job Durfee has conferred honor upon his native State by his 
original and vigorous poem of What Cheer, which John Foster 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 55 



regarded with the highest admiration. It illustrates the early his- 
tory of the State, and especially its first settlement by Roger Will- 
iams. The following passage, furnishing a fine contrast with the 
present condition of things in and around Providence, we cannot 
refrain from quoting : 

" The winds of March o'er Narragansett's bay 

Move in their strength ; the waves with foam are white ; 

O'er Seekonk's tide the waving branches play ; 
The woods roar o'er resounding plain and liight. 

'Twixt sailing clouds the sun's inconstant ray' 
But glances on the scene, then fades from sight ; 

The frequent showers dash from the passing clouds ; 

The hills are peeping through their wintry shrouds. 

" Dissolving snows each downward channel fill ; 

Each swollen brook a foaming torrent brawls ; 
Old Seekonk murmurs, and from every hill 

Answers aloud the coming waterfalls. 
Deep-voiced Pawtucket thunders louder still ; 

To dark Mooshausic joyously he calls, 
Who breaks his bondage, and, through forests brown, 
Murmurs the hoarse response, and rolls his tribute down. 

" But hark ! that sound about the cataracts 

And hollow winds, in this wild solitude, 
Seems passing strange : who, with the laboring axe, 

On Seekonk's eastern marge, invades the wood ? 
Stroke follows stroke — some sturdy hind attacks 

Yon ancient groves, which from their birth have stood 
Unmoved by steel ; and, startled by the sound, 
The wild deer snuffs the gale, then, with a bound, 

" Vaults o'er the thickets, and down yonder glen 

His antlers vanish. On yon shaggy hight 
Sits the lone wolf, half peering from his den, 

And howls, regardless of the morning light. 
Unwonted sounds and a strange denizen 

Vex his repose ; then, cowering with affright, 
He shrinks away, for, witli a crackling sound, 
Yon lofty hemlock bows, and thunders to the ground." 

The State of Rhode Island is honorably distinguished for its be- 
nevolent institutions. Miss Dix, we believe, belongs to Rhode 
Island, and the whole State, as well as the other States of the 
Union, has felt the influence of her Howard-like benevolence. 
The Hon. Nicholas Brown, whose name has been given to the uni- 
versity at Providence, has left behind him many memorials of his 
high and expansive charity. Long may this little State give birth 
to such benefactors of their race ! 



56 



THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 




Arms of Connecticut. 



The last, though by no means the least, State of New England 
we have to visit is Connecticut, sometimes facetiously called the 
" Wooden Nutmeg State," by others the " Freestone State," from 
the immense beds of old red sandstone which underlie the Con- 
necticut River and the adjacent regions, the haunt of genius, and 
the home of the genuine Yankee peddler, Avho goes " whittling" 
and bargaining "round the world." The old Puritans who set- 
tled this State were a noble and substantial race of men, who 
"feared God, and kept his commandments ;" but, from erroneous 
notions, and the habits of the age in which they lived, a little too 
stern in their social discipline. This gave rise to the celebrated 
Blue Laws, which arranged the dress, and cropped the hair to 
Puritan dimensions, and gave occasion to certain punishments for 
light misdemeanors and follies, at which we laugh now, but which 
assisted to preserve the sanctity of virtue, and form a character at 
once strong and influential. These Blue Laws, too, have been 
greatly misrepresented, and are not nearly so bad as is generally 
imagined. The Episcopal High Churchman, Peters, no great 
honor, in our judgment, to the venerable church of his fathers, 
mingled some inventions of his own, and certain hearsays of others, 
with- the authentic laws of the State, and imparted to them a 
deeper blue than they naturally possessed. * 

The Connecticut character has been well and wittily described by 
Fitz- Greene Halleck, " a poet of their own," and a man of fine genius : 

" And still her gray rocks tower above the sea 

That murmurs at their feet, a conquer'd wave ; 
'Tis a rough land of earth, and stone, and tree, 

Where breathes no castled lord, or cabin'd slave ; 
Where minds, and tongues, and hands are bold and free, 
And friends will find a welcome, foes a grave ; 



The very existence of the " Blue Laws" has been denied. 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 57 



And where none kneel, save when to Heaven they pray ; 
Nor even then, unless in their own way. 

" Theirs is a pure republic, wild, yet strong ; 
A 'fierce democracie,' where all are true 
To what themselves have voted, right or wrong, 
And to their laws, denominated blue, 

* * * * 

A vestal state which power could not subdue. 



" They love their land, because it is their own, 

And scorn to give aught other reason why ; 
Would shake hands with a king upon his throne, 

And think it kindness to his majesty ; 
A stubborn race, fearing and flattering none : 

Such are they nurtured — such they live and die ; 
All but a few apostates, who are meddling 
With merchandise, pounds, shillings, pence, and peddling. 

" Or, wandering through the Southern countries, teaching 
The ABC from Webster's spelling-book ; 
* «• * # 

Or gaining by what they call ' hook and crook,' 
And what the moralists call over-reaching, 
A decent living. * * * 

"But these are but their outcasts. View them near 
At home, where all their worth and pride is placed, 

And there their hospitable fires burn clear ; 

And there the lowliest farm-house hearth is graced 

With manly hearts ; in piety sincere, 
Faithful in love, in honor stern and chaste, 

In friendship warm and true, in danger brave, 

Beloved in life, and sainted in the grave !" 

Connecticut has rather a poor and rugged soil, though very fer- 
tile and beautiful along the courses of her streams, the Connecti- 
cut, the Thames, the Housatonic, and the Farmington. A long 
range of mountains, or rather hills, runs through the State, like the 
backbone of a fish, coming down from the mountains of the north, 
and terminating at New Haven, in the high rocky bluffs called East 
and West Rocks. The State is essentially manufacturing ; her 
rapid streams, " which run among the valleys," driving innumer- 
able mills, which turn out all sorts of " Yankee notions," such as 
tin-ware, wooden-ware, clocks and coffee-mills, and the more sub- 
stantial articles of cotton and woolen fabric. 

Her noble river, the Connecticut, is one of the most beautiful in 
the country, often reminding one of the Rhine, though without 
the old castles and vine-covered hills of that ancient river; but 
eveiy where, on its high sloping banks, you see the fair cottage 

3* 



58 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



or more substantial farm-house, the neat school-house and gleam- 
ing church, " white as the snows of heaven," with its green blinds 
and slender spire. No finer cities of their size can be found than 
Hartford, New Haven, and Middletown. Her schools and colleges 
are of the highest order. " Old Yale," the glory of the pilgrims, 
is one of the largest in the United States, well endowed, and 
thoroughly manned with a noble corps of learned and accomplished 
teachers. The Wesleyan University at Middletown, though smaller, 
is a very respectable institution. The Connecticut School Fund, 
the largest in the country, now exceeds two millions of dollars. 

Connecticut can show a long list of celebrated men — celebrated 
at once in peace and war. Her Davenports, Winthrops, Sher- 
mans, Putnams, Trumbulls, Ledyards, and Seymours are well 
known. Her literary history, too, is one of the most brilliant in 
the country. Jonathan Edwards, the greatest metaphysician, and 
perhaps preacher of his day, belongs to this State. Timothy 
Dwight, poet, orator, and divine, is one of her sons. A host of 
other distinguished preachers and theologians, whom we cannot 
even name, adorn her annals. Her poets, of whom Connecticut 
has been peculiarly prolific, are among the stars of American 
literature. Among these are Trumbull, the author of " McFin- 
gal," the Hudibras of his country ; Joel Barlow, whose " Hasty 
Pudding" is well known ; John Pierpont, whose " Airs of Palef 
tine" and patriotic lyrics have awakened sweet echoes in many 
hearts ; James A. Hillhouse, the amiable and gifted author of 
"Hadad;" Fitz-Greene Halleck, whose "Marco Bozzaris" sounds 
like a trumpet among the mountains ; S. G. Goodrich, the Peter 
Parley of the world, and the author of some fine poems, among 
them " Lake Superior," of considerable poetic merit ; Dr. James 
G. Percival, one of the most learned though singular men of his 
day, and a poet of rare power, rising frequently to strains which 
would do honor to Wordsworth and Coleridge ; John Brainard, 
the author of " Connecticut," an exquisite piece of descriptive 
verse ; Lydia H. Sigourney, the Hemans of America, with many 
others, as the newspapers say, " too numerous to mention." Con- 
necticut is celebrated for her teachers, and perhaps no State has 
produced so many admirable text-books for schools and acade- 
mies. Noah Webster, " the great word man," as the people. some- 
times impressively call him, has produced the best and most pop- 
ular dictionary of the English language. 

Nor is this State undistinguished in science. Her Olmsteds 
and Sillimans are known throughout the scientific world. 

Before leaving this State, we will linger a little while in the city 
of Hartford, lying on a gentle acclivity which rises gradually from 



THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 59 



the banks of the Connecticut, and possessing much picturesque 
beauty. On a bold eminence south of the city stand the hand- 
some buildings of Trinity College, surrounded by thick masses of 
magnificent foliage. Beyond it, toward the south, is the State 
Lunatic Asylum, a fine silvan retreat, and one of the best institu- 
tions of the kind in the country. On this side, and separated from 
the college by Sickenam River, a sluggish stream, which winds in 
rural beauty through the intervening valley, rises Lord's Hill, 
sometimes called Asylum Hill, with handsome villas and cottages, 
and surmounted by the extensive buildings of the Asylum for 
Deaf Mutes, a noble and well-supported institution, with its dozen 
teachers, and three hundred pupils. Beneath these hills, in the 
direction of the Connecticut River, the city proper spreads itself 
north and south, adorned with handsome churches and lofty spires, 
among which towers the State House, a plain but handsome 
building and not far from it, the Athenaeum, an 

elegant structure, in the semi- Gothic style, containing a large 
public library, as also the library of the Historical Society, the 
most of which, however, belongs to the great New England 
" Biblist," the venerable Dr. Robbins, a good collection of paint- 
ings, from the pencils of Trumbull, Stewart, West, and others, 
and an interesting cabinet of antiquities. Here may be seen por- 
traits of some of the old governors and clergymen of Connecticut ; 
the sign-post of General Putnam ; the jacket and shirt of Ledyard, 
perforated by the sword of his recreant conqueror ; Elder Brew- 
ster's chest, porridge-pot, and tongs, brought over in the May- 
flower ; an old English chair, fit for a giant, brought over in the 
same vessel ; a chair, or ottoman, which belonged to General 
Washington ; and several other rare and precious relics of former 
days. The reading-room and library of the " Young Men's In- 
stitute," so well arranged, furnish unmistakable evidence of the 
virtue and intelligence of the place. A little further south, a few 
steps beyond the bridge which spans the Little or Sickenam 
River, in a street which runs at right angles from Main-street 
toward the Connectic\it River, stands the veritable Charter Oak, 
in which the bold patriots of the olden time hid the colonial char- 
ter, which James the Second endeavored to wrest from their 
grasp. What strange and startling changes has this venerable 
denizen of the primeval forest, now all alone in the heart of the 
city, beheld since the days of its youth ! 

" Change steals o'er all ! the bark canoe 
No longer cleaves the streamlet blue ; 
Nor even the flying wheel retains 
Its ancient prowess o'er the plains ; 



60 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



The horse, with nerves of iron frame, 
Whose breath is smoke, whose food is flame, 
Surmounts the earth with fearful sweep, 
And strangely rules the cleaving deep." 

The Charter Oak, by Mrs. Sigoumey, 

The character and manners of the people of Connecticut, similar 
to those of the New Englanders generally, differ, in no essential 
particulars, from those of the Anglo-Saxons of England, whence 
they spring. A little more keen and practical — an enemy would 
say, more close and cunning — they possess the same general fea- 
tures of temper and habits. Intelligent, sociable, enterprising, 
they are perhaps more mercurial and locomotive. Never was 
such a people for inventing, contriving, changing, " guessing," 
" fixing," and traveling. Upon the whole religious— in some 
cases sternly so — they give liberally to all benevolent enterprises, 
and take the deepest interest in the progress of freedom and truth 
throughout the world. Their amusements are of the solid and 
virtuous character, though " breaking out" considerably on training 
and celebration days. Fond of their homes, warmly attached to 
their children and friends, they are happiest in private and social 
intercourse. Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July are the great 
festivals of New England. Christmas is celebrated by some ; but 
the population being composed chiefly of Congregationalists and 
Baptists, with a respectable sprinkling of Episcopalians and Metho- 
dists, all good members of the community, Thanksgiving is the 
real Christmas holiday of New England. Then the "fatted calf" 
— we mean the fatted turkey — is killed, and the pumpkin pies are 
baked. Friends and families, far and near, gather in the old 
churches, and in the old homes, to spend the day. Family ties 
are renewed, old memories are invigorated, old affections and hopes 
are brightened. Songs and stories, quips and cranks, smiles and 
tears, vows and greetings, counsels and cautions, feastings and 
frolickings, prayers and blessings, fill up the day. Then ten 
thousand happy families can sing : 

" We are all here, 

Father, mother, 

Sister, brother, 
All who hold each other dear. 
Each chair is filled — we're all at home ! 
Bless, then, the meeting and the spot ; 
Let once be every care forgot ; 
Let gentle peace assert her power, 
And kind affection rule the hour : — 

We're all here — all here ! 

Charles Sprague. 



THE NEW ENGLAISD STATES. 



61 




THE MIDDLE STATES. 63 



CHAPTER Y, 

THE MIDDLE STATES. 




Arms of New York. 



We bid farewell to New England, with her schools and col- 
leges, her poets and pumpkins, and hasten to New York, justly- 
styled the " Empire State." 

It is a bright and balmy day in June, as, in our noble steamer, 
we plow the waves of Long Island Sound. On one side are the 
rocky shores of old Connecticut ; on the other, the verdant slopes 
of Long Island, which may be termed the garden of New York, 
for thence, to a great extent, are the markets of the latter sup- 
plied with vegetables. We pass rapidly the cultivated banks of 
what we may now call the East River, for the Sound is narrowed 
to the dimensions of an ordinary river, adorned on either side with 
handsome villas and shady lawns ; and yonder is New York, with 
her forest of masts, gathered from all nations, and her innumerable 
chimneys, church towers, and spires stretching to the sky, the 
second great commercial metropolis in the world, being inferior 
only to London in the extent of her business and shipping. The 
population of New York is immense, and constantly increasing. 
The same may be said of her trade and commerce. Her natural 
resources and advantages are unprecedented, having, perhaps, the 
finest harbor in the world ; connected on the one hand, by means 
of this harbor, with the vast Atlantic, and consequently with the 
entire commerce of the earth ; and on the other, through her in- 
ternal channels of communication, in the form of railroads and 



64 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



rivers, with the whole United States. On these accounts, both 
the City and State of New York are yet destined to an amazing ex- 
pansion and increase. Let any one take the railroad cars, or the 
North River, and pass on, amid the magnificence of nature, and 
the thriving towns, cities, villages, hamlets, and homes which adorn 
the banks of the Hudson, to Albany or Troy ; then let him pro- 
ceed through the interior of the State hundreds of miles, along her 
canals or her railroads, touch at Ontai-io on the north, and Erie on 
the west, and finally stand by the shores of Niagara, listening to 
the roar of its mighty cataract, and he will not hesitate to say that 
New York is fairly entitled to the appellation of the " Empire 
State." With scenery as grand and picturesque as any in the 
world ; immense and beautiful inland lakes ; long lines of canal and 
railroad communication ; rivers running from north to south, from 
east to west, deep and long-reaching, and covered with the com- 
merce and population of the neighboring countries ; vast mountain 
ranges crowned with verdure ; exuberant forests for timber and 
shipping ; wide and fair valleys, rich meadows, and uplands, clothed 
with grass or grain ; extensive manufactures ; a noble system of free- 
school education ; an intelligent and industrious population, con- 
stantly increasing in numbers, intelligence, and wealth ; the Bible 
scattered every where in church, school-house, and home ; an ener- 
getic corps of Christian ministers of various denominations, and 
churches every where adorning the landscape, the State cannot 
fail to be prosperous and happy. 

New York is especially rich in agriculture ; but situated as she 
is, manufactures and commerce must necessarily occupy much of 
her attention. In both these departments of industry, her prog- 
ress has been rapid and striking. No State or country has ex- 
celled her in the matter of internal improvements. Indeed, there 
seems to be no limit to her resources in this respect. The Erie 
Canal, her former pride, and now the North River and Erie Rail- 
roads, are stupendous works of art, traversing the State, and com- 
manding the commerce of the Far West ; for one has only to start 
from the foot of Cortlandt-street, and keep on moving, day after 
day, continuously, by steamer and rail-car, in order to find him- 
self now at Buffalo, now at Detroit, anon at Chicago, and finally 
at Milwaukie, or some other more distant point in the once un- 
broken wilderness. 

It is a source of infinite satisfaction that New York has taken 
such a decided stand in the matter of common-school education. 
The people are to be wholly educated ; and although the best-laid 
scheme will fail at particular points, and in the best-educated 
communities many will be found incapable of reading and writing, 



THE MIDDLE STATES. 65 



yet it will not fail as a whole, and the great mass of the com- 
munity will become a reading and well-informed people. 

New York is, in its character, essentially New England, with 
some slight modifications from foreign emigration, and from the 
prevalence here and there, especially among the Manhattaners, of 
a Dutch element. In their manners, perhaps, they are more gen- 
erous and free ; a little more given, we should think, to personal 
indulgence ; in some respects, it may be, more liberal in their tone 
of thinking, and a little more easy and careless in their general 
manners. Still, they are, to all intents and purposes, the same 
kind of people, profess the same beliefs, enjoy the same forms of 
government, speak the same language, read the same books, cher- 
ish the same hopes. This, it is true, may be said of the great 
majority of the inhabitants of the United States. Portions of 
them, indeed, # are peoples by themselves. The Germans, the Irish, 
the Jews, the Danes, the Africans, and some others, have their 
national peculiarities ; but it is surprising to see how rapidly all 
the varieties of the Norman, Teutonic, and Anglo-Saxon stocks are 
blending together, losing their peculiarities, and forming a single 
homogeneous race. 

New York is well supplied with colleges, universities, medical 
and theological schools. Her literary men are among the fore- 
most in the country. At the head of these stand Washington 
Irving, the Addison, or, perhaps, the Goldsmith of America, and 
Cooper, next to Walter Scott, perhaps, the most successful novel- 
ist of modern times. New Jei-sey, indeed, may claim Cooper, as 
he is a native of that State. But the city of New York, from its 
great commercial advantages, naturally attracts literary as well 
as business men. Here reside Bryant, Dr. Robinson (born 
in Southington, Connecticut), Fitz-Greene Halleck, N. P. Willis, 
and many others, attracted to New York, as one of the great 
centers of literary influence. Among the distinguished writers 
of native stock, we may mention, without intending to disparage 
others, Verplanck, Hoffman, Paulding, Fay, Headley, Mathews, 
Hosmer, Street, Mrs. Kirkland, Fanny Forrester, Mrs. Osgood, 
Miss Gould, and Mrs. Embury. Of preachers, learned and elo- 
quent, New York has a noble list. Many of her sons have gone 
"far hence to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches 
offchrist." 

Reluctantly we bid adieu to New York, and crossing the ferry, 
find ourselves in the cars, dashing through the level, peach-clad 
plains of New Jersey. Originally settled by Dutch in 1624, New 
Jersey yet retains a Dutch element ; and is an honest, indus- 
trious, thriving State. Its manufactures, particularly of iron, are 



66 



THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



quite extensive. It lias two colleges : that of Nassau Hall, or the 
College of New Jersey, at Princeton, at which place, also, is a 




Arms of New Jersey. 

celebrated theological seminary belonging to the Presbyterians; 
and Rutger's College, at New Brunswick, both flourishing institu- 
tions, from which have issued many able and influential men. The 
Alexanders, father and sons, have acquired a just celebrity as 
scholars and theologians. 

New Jersey played an important part during the Revolutionary 
war. The battles of Trenton, of Princeton, and of Monmouth, in 
all of which her citizens bore a share, have won for her imperish- 
able renown. 

But yonder is Philadelphia, with its green trees and level 
squares, the city of that great and good man, William Penn — who, 
according to Dean Prideaux, laid it out after the model of ancient 
Babylon — next to New York, the largest city in the United States, 
'and ever memorable as the scene of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. The first thing that attracts us, and the most interesting, 
though one of the plainest of her public buildings, is the old State 
House, now called Independence Hall, at once venerable and beau- 
tiful, from its situation and early associations. It fronts on Chest- 
nut-street, with Independence Square in its rear. The wood-work 
of the steeple of the main building was so much decayed in 1*774, 
that it was taken down, leaving only a small belfry to cover the 
bell for the use of the town-clock. The first bell, originally im- 
ported from England, being broken, a new one was cast in Phil- 
adelphia, under the direction of Isaac Norris, then speaker of the 
Colonial Assembly, who caused to be inscribed on it a passage 
from Leviticus, xxv., 10, " as if prophetic of its future use," " Pro- 
claim liberty throughout this land unto all the inhabitants thereof" 



THE MIDDLE STATES. 



Ql 



That very bell, the moment the Declaration of Independence was 
signed by the noble men gathered in one of the rooms beneath, 
rang out its joyous tones, proclaiming to the anxious multitudes 
who were waiting the result, the consummation of that august 
and thrilling: act. 




Arms of Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania is a large and highly prosperous State, the great 
coal and iron region, from which, mainly, the whole United States 
are supplied with these indispensable articles. It has extensive 
manufactures ; in this respect, indeed, it is the first State in the 
Union, and possesses large tracts of rich arable land. Its mount- 
ains are filled with coal, marble, iron, and other minerals. The 
population is large, and constantly increasing, fairly entitling it to 
the appellation, in the language of political life, of the Keystone 
State. 

Pennsylvania has quite a number of flourishing universities and 
colleges, and a fair system of common schools. Except, however, 
in the larger cities, education is in a somewhat backward condition. 
The country people of this State have not yet awakened to a full 
sense of the value of this inestimable blessing. Still, progi*ess has 
been made in inference to this interest, and, we doubt not, Pennsyl- 
vania,' "slow, but sure," will, in her educational movements, soon 
rival her sister States. The late Stephen Girard left 2,000,000 of 
dollars for the establishment of a free orphan school in Philadel- 
phia. The magnificent edifice of white marble erected for this 
institution is an ornament to the city and State. 

Being originally settled by Quakers, Pennsylvania has a large 
proportion of this quiet and excellent class of men, with their 
broad-brimmed hats, drab breeches, thee and thou conversation, 
and staid demeanor. A large portion of the State is also settled 



68 



THE WOELD WE LIVE W. 



by Germans, who speak their own language, and maintain their 
own worship, chiefly Lutheran or Dutch Reformed. The Mora- 
vians, a simple-hearted, pious people, have settlements at Nazareth 
and Bethlehem. The latter occupies an attractive situation, rising 
from the banks of the Lehigh, here crossed by a bridge. It has 
a large Gothic church, a female seminary, and, in the immediate 
vicinity, a beautiful rural cemetery. The society is distinguished 
for their great simplicity of manners and love of music. Much of 
their worship consists of music, in which the whole congregation 
unite. A solemn requiem is sung from the dome of the church 
at the death of any of their number, and the body, after remaining 
three days in the " corpse-house," is borne to the grave accom- 
panied by sweet and plaintive music. 

Pennsylvania is not peculiarly distinguished in the literature of 
the country. Still, she has borne her part in this sphere, and has 
produced many accomplished orators, poets, and divines. Benja- 
min Franklin long resided in Philadelphia. Here lived and labored 
the lamented Willis Gaylord Clark. Rufus W. Griswold and Dr. 
Bethune have been long identified with Philadelphia. Charles 
Brockden Brown was a Pennsylvanian, and Joseph C. Neal, the 
author of " Charcoal Sketches," though born in New Hampshire, 
made his home in Pennsylvania. 




Arms of Delaware. 



Arms of Maryland. 



But we must hasten on our journey. The little States of Dela- 
ware and Maryland, not unknown in the annals of the Union, in- 
vite us. Here we begin to breathe the balmy air of the South, 
and see the first indications of slavery, existing in Maryland, per- 
haps in its mildest form, but not unaccompanied by some of those 
disadvantages, which none are more ready to deplore than the 
free and generous portion — which we believe to be the larger 



THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 69 



portion — of the Southern people themselves. Baltimore, the prin- 
cipal city of Maryland, and of this part of the country, is a large, 
prosperous commercial emporium, with much vigor and enterprise, 
being the third largest city in the Union. 

These small States, particularly Maryland, are not undistin- 
guished in literature. To prove this, we have only to mention 
the names of William Wirt of Bladensburg, and his elegant biog- 
rapher, J. P. Kennedy, Edgar A. Poe, that rare but wayward son 
of genius, Ed. C. Pinckney, a statesman and poet, Dr. Bird, the 
author of " Calavar," and Richard H. Wilde, one of the most 
accomplished scholars in the country, author of " The Love, Im- 
prisonment, and Madness of Torquato Tasso." 

We will remain a short time in the District of Columbia, that 
anomalous but interesting spot, which contains the seat of govern- 
ment, and ought to be, though we fear, in all respects, it is not, 
the light and glory of the Union. Washington, the capital of the 
country, the " city of magnificent distances," has many interesting 
features. Its great attraction, however, consists in its connection 
with the government. "The public buildings of Washington," 
says an English writer, " have a magnificence becoming a great 
nation." The Capitol is the finest building in the United States. 
It is every way suitable that the representatives of the sovereign 
people should be accommodated in a building which would do 
honor to royalty, and be worthy of the most august legislative 
body in the world. The Capitol is universally regarded as an 
honor to the nation. It is elevated seventy-three feet above tide- 
water, and affords a commanding view of the city and of the sur- 
rounding country. The building is of freestone, and covers an 
area of more than an acre and a half ; the length of the front is 
352 feet, including the wings ; the depth of the wings is 121 feet. 
In the projection on the east front there is a splendid portico of 
twenty-two lofty Corinthian columns, thirty-eight feet high ; and 
in the west front there is a portico of ten Corinthian columns. The 
bight of the building to the top of the dome is 120 feet. Under 
the dome, in the middle of the building, is the rotunda, a circular 
room, ninety-five feet in diameter, and of the same bight, adorned 
with sculptures in stone panels, in bold relief, containing groups 
of figures representing Smith delivered by the interposition of 
Pocahontas ; the Landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock ; the 
Conflict of Boone with the Indians ; and Penn treating with the 
Indians ; and four magnificent paintings by Trumbull, with figures 
as large as life, representing the Presentation to Congress of the 
Declaration of Independence, in which all the figures, forty-seven 
in number, in that august assembly, which William Pitt, in the 



10 



THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



British Parliament, pronounced superior in wisdom to any body 
of men whom he had ever heard or read of, are correct likenesses ; 
the Surrender of Burgoyne to General Gates ; the Surrender of 





Capitol at Washington. 

Cornwallis at Yorktown ; and Washington Resigning his Commis- 
sion to Congress at Annapolis. To these have recently been 
added the Baptism of Pocahontas, by Chapman, and the Embark- 
ation of the Pilgrims, by Weir. These paintings (by native artists) 
possess great merit as works of art, in addition to their commem- 
oration of great events in American history. The rotunda has 
recently received a splendid additional ornament in Greenough s 
statue of Washington, a colossal figure in a sitting posture, twice 
as large as life. There are in Washington various other build- 
ings and objects of interest worthy of notice, but we have no room 
for their description. We will, however, mention only one more, 
the glory of the age, in the line of invention and scientific progress, 
Professor S. F. B. Morse's electric telegraph, the source of all the 
other telegraphs in the country, and one of the most astonishing 
triumphs of genius, industry, and skill. 



THE DISTEICT OF COLUMBIA. 71 



On the north bank of the Potomac, two miles west of the Cap- 
itol, and on the highest point of the land in the District, stands 
the National Observatory. 

On a clear day, a correspondent of the Globe remarks, the 
view from it embraces a scene of mingled variety and beauty, 
which would alone repay a visit. The cities of Washington and 
Georgetown appear spread out at your feet, the broad avenues of 
the former marked as upon a map. The eye, easily directed to 
Columbia College and the Catholic Seminary, ranges also over the 
different churches and public edifices, while far off, upon an emi- 
nence already green under the first breath of spring, rises the 
Capitol, the flag of the Union floating proudly from its summit, 
and its numerous windows gleaming in the sun. Nearer, you see 
the Long Bridge, which crosses the Potomac, and Arlington 
House, nestled among the hills that skirt the Virginia shore. The 
river, whose waves break beneath you upon the grounds of the 
Observatory, makes a bend before it sweeps away to Alexandria, 
imparting an additional charm to a scene which, for its still and 
solemn beauty, is not equaled by that of the Susquehanna at 
Havre de Grace, and is even superior to any of the exquisitely 
contrasted combinations of land and water views, sometimes 
produced by the abrupt course of the Alleghany, in the south- 
ern counties of New York, as it winds " mountain - curved 
along." 

The Observatory itself is a large two- story building, surmounted 
by a revolving dome, and has wings upon its eastern and western 
extremities, with a similar projection at the north, in which are 
placed the instruments for astronomical observation. In the dome 
is the " Equatorial," the most important instrument in the build- 
ing. It consists of a fourteen-feet telescope with a nine-inch 
object-glass, equatorially mounted. It was made in Dresden, and 
cost, we think, $40,000. 

The east wing contains a five-foot transit instrument, with an 
object-glass of four and a half inches, and also a " fine mural 
circle," with a telescope six feet in length, and an object-glass of 
five and a half inches. 

In the south room is a "prime vertical" and a refraction in- 
strument, and in the adjoining wing may be seen a seven-foot 
transit, and the justly celebrated magnetic clock, 

We are off once more, not exactly on the wings of the wind, 
but on those of steam, if the figure may be allowed, and, in due 
time, find ourselves in Old Virginia, one of the most enlightened 
and patriotic of the old thirteen States that banded together in 
the cause of liberty ; mother of heroes and' great men, for here 



12 



THE WORLD WE LIVE EN". 



were born Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Madison, and 
other lofty spirits, whose names stand among the first in the an- 
nals of their country, and of the world. Here, then, properly 
commence our brief sketches of the Southern States. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE SOUTHERN STATES, 




Arms of Virginia. 

Virginia is a large and beautiful State, though somewhat worn 
out in parts by slave culture, the growth of tobacco, and so forth. 
Ever brave and chivalrous, Virginia bore an important part in the 
Revolutionary struggle. No State in the Union has given birth 
to greater or better men. Her Patrick Henry, as a Revolutionary 
orator, perhaps the most powerful and thrilling the Union has 
ever produced ; her Washington, " first in war, first in peace, and 
first in the hearts of his countrymen," in fact, the greatest man of 
modern times ; her Jefferson, scholar, statesman, and orator, at 
once accomplished and profound ; her Madison and her Monroe, 
statesmen of the highest order ; her Marshall, as a judge and ex- 
pounder of laAv, one of the clearest and ablest in the annals of 
jurisprudence, have conferred upon her undying honor. 

From the character of the early settlers, and the nature of her 
social and domestic institutions, the people of Virginia possess 
some peculiar traits of character. The manners of her planters 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 73 



are polished and courteous. Hospitality and generosity are every- 
day virtues. The common people, however, and the slave popu- 
lation, have also their traits, and suffer greatly in comparison. 
Education is imperfectly diffused. The higher schools and col- 
leges are pretty well patronized, but alas ! the common schools 
are common enough. Indeed, they scarcely exist, and much 
gross ignorance prevails among the poor whites, and, of course, 
among the colored population. 

The people of Virginia are said to be kind to their slaves. Many 
of these can read, Avrite, and cipher, and a few of them have made 
some progress in general intelligence. Considering their circum- 
stances, they succeed in passing their time in tolerable comfort. 
Many of them are church members, and greatly enjoy the sing- 
ing. But the poor creatures have often to be removed from 
their homes, a thing which they dread — which their masters some- 
times dread, but which they cannot help. On Sundays, at meet- 
ing, on "general training days," Christmas and the Fourth of 
July, and at barbecue feasts, they appear " light-hearted and 
merry," for this is the nature of the negro ; but they are a poor, 
ignorant, hapless race, to whom their possessors owe the deepest 
responsibilities, which, we trust, they will yet fully and generously 
meet. 

Virginia has some great natural curiosities, which attract the 
admiration of all travelers. Among these are the passage of the 
river Potomac through the Blue Ridge, at Harper's Ferry, a part 
of the Appalachian chain of mountains, presenting the appearance 
of a huge rent three-quarters of a mile wide, through a stupen- 
dous wall of rocks ; the Rock Bridge over Cedar Creek, a gigantic 
rock, eighty feet in width, and covered with soil and trees, thrown 
across a chasm 200 feet in depth, nearly perpendicular, through 
which the stream passes, thus forming a natural arch, " so beauti- 
ful, so elevated, so light, and springing, as it were, up to heaven," 
as to produce, according to Jefferson, " emotions the most sublime 
and delightful ;" and especially Weyers Cave, in Augusta county, 
among the mountains, " vast, spacious, and beautiful, abounding 
in sparry concretions, and equal, in the singularity and splendor of 
its contents, to the celebrated grotto of Antiparos." This natural 
cave is composed of various apartments and figures, among which 
are the Dragon s Room, in imitation of a dragon facing a stupen- 
dous wall, under which is a projecting rock, with many soniferous 
spires; Solomon's Temple, "one of the sublimest sights in the 
world," containing a "wave-like folding of incrustations from the 
ceiling to the floor, exactly resembling water tumbling over a 
precipice which had conglaciated in falling, called the Cataract or 

4 



74 THE WORLD WE LIVE IJST. 



Falls of Niagara," with other magnificent and infinitely diversified 
stalactites and stalagmites, like thrones, pillars, and divans ; the 
Lady's Dressing-room, elegantly festooned ; Washington's Statue, 
having the appearance of a large person vailed in white ; Lady 
Washington's Drawing-room ; Washington Hall ; the Pyramids ; 
the Dining-room ; the Church Steeple ; Jefferson's Salt Mount- 
ain ; Lot's Wife, and we know not what all. 

Before leaving Virginia we must pay a visit to Mount Vernon, 
the home and the burying-place of the immortal Washington, 
" first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his country- 
men." It lies pleasantly on the west bank of the Potomac, fifteen 
miles from Washington, and nine from Alexandria. The mansion, 
yet standing, is a plain and unpretending wooden edifice, sur- 
rounded, however, by spacious and beautiful lawns and gardens. 
The tomb is a simple excavation in the earth, walled with brick, 
and overgrown with evergreens. But the greatness of the man. 
needs nothing more than the presence of his dust to invest the 
scene with a sublime and thrilling interest. 

" How sleep the brave, who sink to rest 
By all their country's wishes blest ! 
When spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mold, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than fancy's feet have ever trod." 

Carlyle, with a strange perversity, has asked, What great idea, 
what great man, has America produced ? To which we . reply, 
Liberty, and Washington. " I stood with him," says one who 
knew him well, " on that same stone platform before the door of 
the hall, elevated by a few steps from the pavement, when the 
carriage of the President drew up. It was, as he describes it, 
white, or rather of a light cream-color, painted on the panels with 
beautiful groups, representing the four seasons. The horses, 
according to my recollection, were white, in unison with the car- 
riage. (He says they were bays ; perhaps he is more correct.) 
As he alighted, and, ascending the steps, paused upon the plat- 
form, looking over his shoulder, in an attitude that would have 
furnished an admirable subject for the pencil, he was preceded by 
two gentlemen, with long white wands, who kept back the crowd 
that pressed on every side to get % nearer view. At that moment 
I stood so near that I might have touched his clothes — but I 
should as soon have thought of touching an electric battery. I 
was penetrated wUh a veneration amounting to the deepest awe. 
Nor was this the feeling of a school-boy only ; it pervaded, I be- 
lieve, every human being that approached Washington ; and I 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 75 



have been told that, even in his social and convivial hours, this 
feeling in those who were. honored to share them never suffered 
intermission. I saw him a hundred times afterward, but never 
with any other than that same feeling. The Almighty, who raised 
up for our hour of need a man so peculiarly prepared for its whole 
dread responsibility, seems to have put an impress of sacredness 
upon his own instrument. The first sight of the man strack the 
heart with an involuntary homage, and prepared every thing 
around him to obey. When he ' addressed himself to speak,' 
there was an unconscious suspension of the breath, while every 
eye was raised in expectation. At the time I speak of, he stood 
in profound silence, and had that statue-like air which mental 
greatness alone can bestow. As he turned to enter the building, 
and was ascending the staircase leading to the Congressional Hall, 
I glided along unperceived, almost under cover of the skirts of his 
dress, and entered instantly after him into the lobby of the House, 
which was, of course, in session to receive him. On either hand, 
from the entrance, stood a large cast-iron stove ; and, resolved to 
secure the unhoped-for privilege I had so unexpectedly obtained, 
I clambered, boy-like, on this stove (fortunately then not much 
heated), and from that favorable elevation enjoyed, for the first 
time (what I have since so many thousands of times witnessed 
with comparative indifference), an uninterrupted view' of the 
American Congress in full session, every member in his place. 
Shall I be pardoned for saying its aspect was very different from 
what we now witness ? There was an air of decorum, of compo- 
sure, of reflection, of gentlemanly and polished dignity, which has 
fled, or lingers with here and there a 'relic of the olden time.' 

" The House seemed then as composed as the Senate now is, 
when an impressive speech is in the act of delivery. On Wash- 
ington's entrance the most profound and death-like stillness pre- 
vailed. House, lobbies, gallery, all were wrapped in the deepest 
attention ; and the souls of that entire assemblage seemed pouring 
from their eyes on the noble figure which deliberately, and Avith 
an unaffected but surpassing majesty, advanced upon the broad 
aisle of the Hall, between ranks of standing Senators and mem- 
bers, and slowly ascended the steps leading to the Speaker's 
chair. I well remember, standing at the head of the Senate, the 
tall, square, somewhat gaunt form of Mr. Jefferson, conspicuous 
from his scarlet waistcoat, bright-blue coat, with broad, bright 
buttons, as well as by his quick and penetrating air, and high- 
boned, Scottish cast of features. There, too, stood Gen. Knox, 
then Secretary of War, in all the sleek rotundity of his low stature, 
with a bold and florid face, open, firm, and manly in its expression. 



16 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



But I recollect that my boyish eye was caught by the appearance 
of De Yrujo, the Spanish embassador. He stood in the rear of 
the chair, a little on one side, covered with a splendid diplomatic 
dress, decorated with orders, and carrying under his arm an im- 
mense chapeau bras, edged with white ostrich feathers. He was 
a man totally different in his air and manner from all around him, 
and the very antipodes especially of the man on whom all eyes 
but his seemed fixed as by a spell. I saw many other very strik- 
ing figures grouped about and behind the Speaker's chair, but I 
did not know their names, and had no one to ask ; besides, I 
dared not open my lips. 

" The President, having: seated himself, remained in silence, 
serenely contemplating the Legislature before him, whose mem- 
bers now resumed their seats, waiting for the speech. No house 
of worship, in the most solemn pauses of devotion, was ever more 
profoundly still than that large and crowded chamber. 

" Washington was dressed precisely as Stuart has painted him in 
Lord Landsdown's full-length portrait — in a full suit of the richest 
velvet, with diamond knee-buckles, and square silver buckles set 
upon shoes japanned with the most scrupulous neatness, black silk 
stockings, his shirt ruffled at the breast and wrist, a light dress- 
sword, his hair profusely powdered, fully dressed, so as to project 
at the sides, and gathered behind in a silk bag ornamented with a 
large rose of black ribbon. He held his cocked hat, which had a 
large black cockade on one side of it, in his hand, as he advanced 
toward the chair, and, when seated, laid it on the table. 

" At length, thrusting his hand within the side of his coat, he 
drew forth a roll of manuscript, which he opened, and rising, held 
it in his hand, while in a rich, deep, full, sonorous voice, he read 
his opening address to Congress. His enunciation was deliberate, 
justly emphasized, very distinct, and accompanied with an air of 
deep solemnity, as being the utterance of a mind profoundly im- 
pressed with the dignity of the act in which it was occupied, 
conscious of the whole responsibility of its position and action, 
but not oppressed by it. There was ever about the man some- 
thing which impressed the observer with a conviction that he was 
exactly and fully equal to what he had to do. He was never 
hurried, never negligent ; but seemed ever prepared for the occa- 
sion, be it what it might. If I could express his character in one 
word, it would be, appropriateness. In his study, in his parlor, 
at a levee, before Congress, at the head of an army, he seemed to 
be just what the situation required him to be. He possessed, in 
a degree never equaled by any human being I ever saw, the 
strongest, most ever-present sense of propriety. It never forsook 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



11 



him, and deeply and involuntarily impressed itself upon every 
beholder. 

" His address was of moderate length ; the topics I have, of 
course, forgotten. Indeed, I was not of an age to appreciate 
them ; but the air, the manner, the tone, have never left my men- 
tal vision, and even now seem to vibrate on my ear. 

" A scene like this once beheld, though in earliest youth, is 
never to be forgotten. It must be now fifty years ago, but I 
could this moment sit down and sketch the chamber, the assem- 
bly, and the max. 

" Having closed the reading, he laid down the scroll, and, after a 
brief pause, retired as he had entered ; when the manuscript was 
handed, for a second reading, to Mr. Beckley, then Clerk of the 
House, whose gentlemanly manner, clear and silvery voice, and 
sharp articulation, I shall ever associate with the scene. When 
shall we again behold such a Congress, and such a President?" 

We have remained so long in Virginia that we shall be com- 
pelled to pass with great rapidity through the remaining Southern 
States, which are alike in many particulars, presenting much the 
same phases of society, and much the same aspects of natural 
scenery. As you proceed southward, the population becomes 
more sparse, the climate warmer, the vegetation more luxuriant. 
The lands on the sea-board are level and monotonous ; in the in- 
terior, a hundred or a hundred and fifty miles from the sea, more 
varied and beautiful. 




Arms of North Carolina. 



Arms of South Carolina. 



Worth Carolina and South Carolina, in their mountain districts, 
possess some of the most magnificent and picturesque scenery in 
the world. These are wealthy and chivalric States, though occa- 
sionally deemed somewhat proud and vainglorious in their, mode 



78 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



of expressing their patriotism. North Carolina is the more mod- 
est of the two, and, perhaps, equal to her more showy sister in 
good sense and solid worth. Charleston is a cultivated place, 
and boasts the possession of some distinguished literary men. 
Raleigh is a pleasant capital, and is the residence of many inter- 
esting and highly polished families. 

Georgia is a large and prosperous State, with a genial climate, 
luxuriant soil, and thriving population. The woods are adorned 
with magnificent magnolias, and other flowering trees and shrubs. 
Cotton is abundant ; oranges, lemons, and figs, especially in the 
southern parts of the State, give a rich and brilliant aspect to the 
landscape. Mercer University, and other literary institutions, do 
honor to the intelligence and enterprise of the citizens. If they 
could only maintain a good system of common schools, their higher 
institutions would be vastly more influential and flourishing. 




Arms of Georgia. Arms of Florida. 

Florida, the land of the " orange and myrtle," has large tracts 
of pine-barrens, low-lying, swampy lands, full of snakes and alli- 
gators ; but with many beautiful savannas covered with a rich 
vegetation, and some fine highlands, where the magnolia, the 
palmetto, and other fair trees of southern climes give a peculiar 
charm to the scenery. In this State the population is sparse, and 
the roads poor. Churches and school-houses are " few and far 
between." 

Alabama, once the dwelling of the Creek Indians, who have 
found a home beyond the Mississippi, is a wealthy cotton-growing 
State, with many slaves and extensive plantations. The high 
table-lands in the center of the State are quite beautiful ; the low- 
lands are dull and monotonous. The atmosphere is warm — in- 
tensely so in the summer months ; and the soil generally fertile, 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



79 



and well adapted to the growth of cotton, rice, and tobacco. The 
people of this State, like those of their sister States of the South 
generally, are distinguished for their hospitality. The large land- 
ed proprietors and planters are a spirited and aristocratic race. 
Those of them that are educated are attractive in their manners, 
while others, who have not enjoyed this advantage, though less 
polished, are equally hospitable. They are somewhat fiery in 
their temper, and quick in their resentments. Hunting, horse- 
racing, visiting, barbecuing, and so forth, here, as throughout the 
entire South, are the principal amusements. The negroes have 
their own modes of merriment, to which they devote themselves 
with the greatest enthusiasm. It is only here and there, however, 
at remote distances, that a traveler meets with a church or a 
school. Many of the churches have preaching only once a month. 
Tuscaloosa is a pleasant town, and has a flourishing university. 





Arms of Alabama. 



Arms of Mississippi. 



Mississippi, notwithstanding her repudiating propensities, is 
growing in wealth and population. Large tracts of the country 
are yet uncultivated, and the population is scattered, and in some 
places poor and ignorant. Its rich lands and warm climate are 
favorable to the growth of large cotton crops, the principal article 
of commerce. On the banks of the lordly Mississippi, the towns, 
cities, and villages are increasing rapidly in resources and pop- 
ulation. 

On the other side of the river, opposite to the State of Missis- 
sippi, lies the fair and fertile Louisiana, with her half-French and 
half- American population, rich in lands, cotton, tobacco, rice, and 
sugar, and especially rich in the trade and commerce of the Mis- 
sissippi. New Orleans is half French, half Catholic in its char- 
acter, and is distinguished for its wealth, gayety, and godiessness. 



80 



THE WOELD WE LIVE EN - . 



Some, indeed, affirm that it is as moral as New York or Philadel- 
phia, though greatly addicted to gambling, drinking, dueling, and 
other " gentlemanly" sports ! It is a great mart of business with 
the whole American continent and Europe, and is destined, there- 
fore, to a large and rapid increase. Louisiana has made some 
laudable efforts in the cause of education, though in this respect 
far behind the Middle and Eastern States. 




Arms of Louisiana. Arms of Tennessee. 

Tennessee has considerable resources, though much of her terri- 
tory is yet unimproved. The people are quite enterprising, and. 
are doing all they can to improve their domain. The cause of 
education has not altogether been neglected. Less wealthy than 
Georgia or Alabama, they are as patriotic and enterprising. Still, 
the bowie-knife and the pistol are too rife among them. 




Arms of Arkansas. 



Arms of Missouri. 



Missouri, though western, belongs to the South in climate, 
usages, and influence. It is only partially cultivated, and has 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



81 



many Indians. Its resources are yet to be developed. St. Louis, 
on the banks of the Mississippi, is destined to be one of the largest 
inland cities of the Union. 

But of all the slave States, old Kentucky, the home of Clay and 
other distinguished men, is our favorite. Brave, gallant, and hos- 
pitable, albeit violent sometimes, and even intolerant, it has many 
redeeming features. Her schools and colleges, however, and even 
her churches, have not much to boast of ; still these are improv- 
ing, and we hope the day is not far distant when Kentucky 
will vie in knowledge, freedom, and virtue with her Eastern 
and Western sisters. But we are getting too far west, and 
must dismiss the southern part of the Union with a few gen^ 
eral remarks. 




Arms of Kentucky. 



Arms of Texas. 



Texas, however, in character, institutions, climate, and produc- 
tions, is so essentially southern, that we must briefly refer to this 
State for the sake of grouping it with its natural allies. With a 
climate perhaps the blandest and purest on the North American 
continent, a rich soil, exuberant vegetation, extensive forests, and 
magnificent prairies, enameled with flowers and covered with 
game, Texas might be one of the wealthiest and most prosperous 
States of the Union. Heterogeneous as her population is, her 
progress thus far has been marked and decisive. Too ambitious, 
however, and withal, grasping, Texas has many defects. Long 
years must elapse before this youthful State can acquire the pu- 
rity and elevation which are the glory of republics. Still, Chris- 
tianity is planting her institutions, her schools and churches, on 
the banks of its noble rivers and by the sides of its mountains 
and meadows, and even now we can see, in the improved charac- 
ter of the population, her bland and peaceful influence. Many 

4* 



32 THE WORLD "WE LIVE EST. 



parts of the country are infested by wild Indians, while, others are 
the haunt of the buffalo, the jaguar, and the wolf. 

In the South generally, and especially in the extreme South, 
the roads are poor, at certain seasons all but impassable, and the 
hotels and other places of public entertainment poor and infre- 
quent. The people, however, when under the influence of natural 
and kindly impulses, are hospitable and generous to a proverb. 
Excitable, and sometimes violent, they too frequently give way to 
their passions, so that lynching and dueling are by no means un- 
common. Many of the rich planters are intelligent and courteous, 
well acquainted with men and books, and especially versed in 
commerce and politics. Much of the country, with all its wealth, 
and many even of the better class of- houses, have a raw and un- 
finished appearance. The poor white people, are poor indeed ; 
and the negroes, with all their ignorance and degradation, often 
take more solid comfort than some of their white neighbors. Of 
a sanguine, lively, laughing disposition, they often make the woods 
ring with their noisy merriment. 

In all the Southern States may be found some educational in- 
stitutions, academies, colleges, and theological schools ; but com- 
mon schools are all but an impossibility there, on account of the 
sparseness of the population and the peculiar condition of society. 
Except the richer proprietors and professional men, the great 
mass of the people, white and black, are very ignorant. Still it 
ought to be mentioned, to their credit, that some of the States, 
especially in the southwest, are making vigorous efforts to estab- 
lish common schools. 

Owing to their wealth and leisure, the leading men of the South 
will generally be well informed and influential. From their ranks 
have sprung some of our greatest statesmen, warriors, and orators. 

The -productions of this part of the Union are various and 
abundant ; but the chief dependence is cotton. Thus far, this 
important staple has been produced here in greater perfection and 
abundance than in all the world besides. General agriculture, 
however, is far inferior to that of the Northern States or of Eng- 
land. Manufactures are beginning to be prosecuted with some 
success in some of the Southern States ; but in this sphere of in- 
dustiy it will be impossible for them to compete with Europe or * 
the North. 

In certain departments of literature the South is by no means 
deficient. Its rich planters, lawyers, and statesmen, perhaps, have 
less temptation to book-making than their Northern neighbors. 
They seem to be most at home in " polite literature" and oratory. 
The " Southern Literary Messenger" has been conducted with 



THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



83 



spirit and ability, and gives a fair sample of the Southern mind. In 
science some of their writers have done good service. Drs. Smyth 
and Bachman, of Charleston, S. C, and especially Audubon, who 
belongs to Louisiana, are among our most distinguished naturalists. 

It may be said, in conclusion, with reference to the Southern 
people, that, while they have certain advantages of soil, position, 
and- climate, they have also serious drawbacks and disadvantages, 
from which their character, high and attractive in many aspects, 
suffers injury and loss. This, however, may be less owing to 
choice than to circumstances. Theirs is a peculiar condition of 
society. For, if the whites are free, the blacks are enslaved ; if 
the whites are enlightened, the blacks are ignorant ; and if some 
of both are Christians, many, especially of the latter, are little 
better than heathen. Ignorance and besotment in any portion of 
a community, even among helots and slaves, react upon the other. 
The pestilential malaria, generated in lowlands and marshes, rise 
to the highest elevations, and affect the whole region in which 
they lie with disease and death. We ought, however, to say 
here that much generous effort is expended by various bodies of 
Christians in the South to give the Gospel to the slaves. Though, 
contrary to the literal provisions of the statute-book, many of them 
are taught to read, while thousands have the privilege of listening 
to the Word of God. 

But the various problems which this subject involves it is not 
our province, at present, to discuss. The whole subject is one of 
difficulty ; and certainly we will not condemn indiscriminately a 
condition of society in which we have never lived, and from Avhich 
have sprung so many noble characters, so many heroic virtues. 




Cotton-Field. 



84 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE "WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 

We enter now a field of observation all but interminable. The 
West — the great West, where is it, and what is it ? Who can 
tell ? Something may be said of it, but even after the most vivid 
and elaborate description, much must remain untold. People 
used to talk of going to the West, when they Avent to Buffalo, or 
Detroit, or Cincinnati ; now they go West all the way to the 
Rocky Mountains, and beyond that huge backbone of North 
America, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This matter has 
been presented in a lively and amusing light by Mr. Catlin, in his 
charming book on the American Indians, which we commend to 
the attention of our readers, as a noble specimen of American 
genius and enterprise. " Notwithstanding all that has been written 
and said, there is scarcely any subject on which the knowing 
people of the East are yet less informed than on the character and 
amusements of the West. By this I mean the Far West, that 
country whose fascinations spread a charm over the mind almost 
dangerous to civilized pursuits. Few people even know the true 
definition of the term West : and where is its location ? Phantom- 
like, it flies before us as we travel, and on our way is continually 
gliding before us as we approach the setting sun. 

"In the commencement of my tour, several of my traveling 
companions from the city of New York found themselves at a 
frightful distance to the West when we arrived at Niagara Falls, 
and hastened back to amuse their friends with tales and scenes of 
the West. At Buffalo a steamboat was landing with 400 passen- 
gers, and twelve days out. 'Where from?' 'From the West.' 
In the rich State of Ohio, hundreds were selling their farms and 
going — to the West. In the beautiful city of Cincinnati people 
said to me, ' Our town has passed the days of its most rapid 
growth; it is not far enough West.' In St. Louis, 1400 miles 
west of New York, my landlady assured me that I would be 
pleased with her boarders, for they were nearly all merchants 
from the ' West.' I then asked, ' Whence come those steamboats 
laden with pork, honey, hides, &c. ?' 

"'From the West.' 

" ' Whence those ponderous bars of silver which those men have 
been for hours shouldering and putting on board that boat ?' 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 85 



" ' They come from Santa Fe — from the West.' 

" ' Where goes this steamboat, so richly laden with dry-goods, 
steam-engines, &c. ?' 

" ' She goes to Jefferson City.' 

" ' Jefferson City !— Where is that ?' 

"'Far to the West.' 

" ' And where goes that boat, laden down to her gunwales, the 
Yellow Stone ?' 

" ' She goes still further to the West.' — ' Then,' said I, ' I'll go 
to the West.' 

" I went on board the ' Yellow Stone' * * * 

Two thousand miles on her and we are at the mouth of the Yel- 
low Stone River — at the West. What ! invoices, bills of lading, 
&c, a wholesale establishment so far to the West ! And those 
strange-looking, long-haired gentlemen, who have just arrived, 
and are relating the adventures of their long and tedious journey. 
' Who are they ?' 

" ' Oh ! they are some of our merchants just arrived from the 
West.' 

" ' And that keel-boat, that Mackinaw-boat, and that formidable 
caravan, all of which are richly laden with goods ?' 

" ' These, sir, are outfits starting for the West.' 

"Going to the West, ha? 'Then,' said I, 'I'll try it again. 
I will try and see if I can go to the West.' * * * * 

" 'What, a fort here too ?' 

" ' Oui, Monsieur, — Oui, Monsieur' (as a dauntless and semi- 
barbarian-looking, jolly fellow dashed forth in advance of his 
party on his wild horse to meet me). 

" ' What distance are you west of Yellow Stone, here, my good 
fellow ?' 

" ' Comment ?' 

" ' What distance ? — (stop) — quel distance ?' 

" ' Pardon, Monsieur, je ne sais pas, Monsieur.' 

" ' Ne parlez vous l'Anglais ?' 

" ' Non, Monsieur. I speaks de French and de Americaine ; 
mais je ne parle pas l'Anglais.' 

" ' Well, then, my good fellow, I will speak English, and you 
may speak Americaine.' 

" ' Val, sare, je suis bien content, pour I see dat you speaks 
putty coot Americaine.' 

" ' What may I call your name ?' 

" ' Ba'tiste, Monsieur.' 

" ' What Indians are those so splendidly dressed, and with such 
fine horses, encamped on the plain yonder ?' 



86 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



" ' lis sont Corbeaux.' 

" ' Crows, ha ?' 

" ' Yes, sare, Monsieur.' 

". ' We are, then, in the Crow country ?' 

" ' Non, Monsieur, not putty exact ; we are in the country of de 
curse Pieds Noirs.' 

" ' Blackfeet, ha ?' 

" ' Oui.' 

" ' What blue mountain is that which we see in the distance 
yonder ?' 

" ' Ha, quel montaigne ? Cela est la Montaigne du — (pardon).' 

"'Du Rochers, I suppose?' 

" ' Oui, Monsieur ; de Rock Montaigne.' 

" ' You live here, I suppose ?' 

" ' Non, Monsieur ; I comes fair from de West.' 

" ' What, from the West ! Where, under the heavens, is that ?' 

" ' Wat, diable ! de West ? Well, you shall see, Monsieur. 
He is putty fair off, suppose. Monsieur Pierre Chouteau can 
give you de histoire de ma vie — il bien sait que je prends les cas- 
tors, very fair in de West.' 

" ' You carry goods, I suppose, to trade with the Snake Indians 
beyond the mountains, and trap beavers also ?' 

" ' Oui, Monsieur.' 

" ' Do you see any thing of the " Flat Heads" in your country V 

" ' Non, Monsieur ; ils demeurent very, very fair to de West.' 

" ' Well, Ba'tiste, I'll lay my course back again for the present, 
and at some future period endeavor to go to the West.'" 

For the present we, too, will fall back a little, and starting at 
New Orleans, the great commercial emporium of the South, to 
which descend, in a constant stream, the vast resources of the 
North and West for thousands of miles, we will proceed up the 
Mississippi, the " Father of Waters," as it is justly termed, one of 
the longest and most magnificent rivers in the world, rushing from 
its far source, the beautiful Itasca Lake, or Lac la Biche, as the 
French call it, situated among hills covered with the primeval pine 
forests, and fed by living springs fifteen hundred feet above the 
level of the ocean, and rushing a distance of three thousand one 
hundred and sixty miles, to the Gulf of Mexico. With its im- 
mense tributaries, the Mississippi touches ten or a dozen States, 
embracing a territory almost equal in extent to that of Europe 
west of the Uralian Mountains, of boundless resources, and filling 
up, from year to year, with a vigorous and thriving population. 
As we ascend, we pass through the States of Louisiana, Missis- 
sippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 8 1 



Indiana, and Illinois. It is true that we branch off into the tribu- 
taries of the Mississippi, in order to reach some of the latter States : 
but all converge to a single point, and, with their commerce and 
trade, swell the tide of business in the direction of this mighty 
river. It passes through vast solitudes and interminable forests ; 
but its broad bosom is covered with flat-boats, steamers, and all 
sorts of water-craft, crowded with passengers and produce. Boats 
of forty tons can ascend to the Falls of St. Anthoiry, a distance of 
two thousand miles. Cities have sprung up on its shores, some 
of them large and beautiful, where, a few years ago, the howl of 
the wolf and the yell of the savage were the only sounds which 
disturbed the silence of the unbroken wilderness. The first steam- 
boat on the Western waters was built at Pittsburg, in 1811. There 
are now from four to five hundred, some of them of great burden, 
on the Mississippi and its tributaries. But these are nothing' to 
the great number of other water-craft on this river, of all shapes 
and sizes ; and among others, the Ark, or Kentucky Flat, a huge 
frame of square timber, with a roof some fifteen or sixteen feet 
wide, and from 600 to 800 long, filled with goods, passengers, and 
produce, and sometimes animals ; in fact, a floating village, or 
rather store, including pig-pen, hen-roost, and stable. In the 
spring, a hundred boats, of all sorts, have been numbered, that 
landed in one day at the mouth of the bayou at Madrid. " I 
have strolled," says Mr. Flint, " to the point, on a spring evening, 
and seen them arriving in fleets. The boisterous gayety of the 
hands, the congratulations, the moving picture of life on board the 
boats, in the numerous animals, large and small, which they carry 
then different loads, the evidence of the increasing agriculture ot 
the country above, and, more than all, the immense distances 
which they have already come, and those which they still have to 
go, afforded me copious sources of meditation. They have come 
from regions thousands of miles apart ; they have floated to a 
common point of union. The surfaces of the boats cover some 
acres. Dunghill fowls are fluttering over the roofs, as an invari- 
able appendage. The chanticleer raises his piercing note ; the 
swine utter their cries ; the cattle low ; the horses trample, as in 
their stables. There are boats fitted on purpose, and loaded en- 
tirely with turkeys, that, having little else to do, gobble most 
furiously. The hands travel about from boat to boat, make in- 
quiries and acquaintances, and form alliances to yield mutual, as- 
sistance, on their descent from this to New Orleans." Some of 
these boats ai-e regular stores, that glide from point to point, to 
trade along the river ; others contain workshops, taverns, shows, 
strolling mountebanks, and so forth. 



88 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



As you ascend the river, you leave the region of cotton and to- 
bacco, and come into that of corn and wine ; for the vine is now 
cultivated in Ohio, Illinois, and other Western regions. The dif- 
ferent States vary somewhat in their character, as well as produc- 
tions. The people of Louisiana derive their peculiarities from 
France ; Kentucky from Virginia and North Carolina ; Ohio from 
New England and New York. What we ordinarily call the West, 
or the Great Valley of the Mississippi, receives its predominant 
character from Kentucky and Ohio— Kentucky exhibiting the 
traits of the South, and Ohio those of the East ; and both blend- 
ing together, and giving rise to a new and interesting variety, hav- 
ing some of the faults and some of the virtues of both. The 
whole, indeed, has been modified by their "life in the wilderness," 
having acquired a vigor, boldness, and recklessness, mingled with 
frankness and generosity, from the habits of the first settlers. 
Less perfectly educated, and less polished in their manners, than 
the people of the East, they are more easy, more natural, and 
generous. A dash of the romantic and roving mingles in their 
composition. A little rough, perhaps, like the forests in which 
they have roamed, they are full of vigor and manly promise. 
The free Western States, as every one knows, advance the most 
rapidly in education, agriculture, commerce, and population. 




Arras of Ohio. 



Ohio has made prodigious progress. Already she numbers her 
population by millions. Her broad acres teem with the produc- 
tions of agriculture, while her schools, churches, and colleges 
adorn the fair landscape. Cincinnati, the " Queen of the West," 
has distinguished herself not only in trade and commerce, but in 
education and literature. Her noble Astronomical Observatory, 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 



89 



founded by the indefatigable exertions of Professor Mitchell, whose 
work on astronomy, a tine monument of his genius, is a credit to 
the city which has sustained and fostered such a man and such 
an enterprise. 




Arms of Illinois. 



Arms of Indiana. 



Illinois possesses much of the vigor and prosperity of Ohio. 
So also does Indiana. But the whole Western valley is full of 
energy. Her population, somewhat rough and heterogeneous, 
being gathered from nearly all lands under heaven, is acquiring a 
homogeneous character. The Saxon element is yet, and must be, 
predominant. Evangelical religion still presides over the forma- 
tion of their character and destiny. Still, as in every neio coun- 
try, a dash of barbarism is uniformly found, and some bad ten- 
dencies have been developed. In the extreme Western, and espe- 
cially Southwestern States, one meets with many things to disturb 
and shock his moral v sensibilities. Generous, it may be, in some 
aspects of their character, the people are often impulsive, passion- 
ate, and even revengeful. The bowie-knife style of civilization oc- 
casionally makes its appearance. Law is sometimes set at defi- 
ance. Mobocracy and Lynching rule the hour. Penetrating still 
further west and south, where the confines of civilization pass into 
those of barbarism, a wild and somewhat savage frontier style of 
life discovers itself. Religion and law are little known. Rudeness 
and violence characterize a large portion of the ignorant and scat- 
tered inhabitants. Here and there, indeed, are found individuals 
and families of noble and generous qualities, but many more are 
degraded and lawless. Poor, besotted Indians, half-breeds, free- 
booters, who have fled from the face of society to hide themselves 
in the woods, and persons of a morose or savage turn of mind, 
frequent these frontier settlements, or rather solitudes. The fol- 



90 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



lowing, from Audubon, will give a lively idea of this class of per- 
sons, and the necessity thence resulting of taking the law into 
one's own hands : — 

" On our return from the Upper Mississippi, I found myself 
obliged to cross one of the wide prairies which, in that portion of 
the United States, vary the appearance of the country. The 
weather was fine ; all around me was as fresh and blooming as if 
it had just issued from the bosom of nature. My knapsack, my 
gun, and my dog were all I had for baggage and for company. 
But although well moccasined, I moved slowly along, attracted by 
the brilliancy of the flowers, and the gambols of the fawns around 
their dams, to all appearance as thoughtless of danger as I felt 
myself. My march was of long duration. I saw the sun sinking 
into the horizon long before I could perceive any appearance of 
woodland, and nothing in the shape of man had I met that day. The 
track which I followed was only an old Indian trace ; and, as dark- 
ness overshadowed the prairie, I felt some desire to reach at least 
a copse, in which I might lie down to rest. The night-hawks were 
skimming over and around me, attracted by the buzzing wings of 
the beetles, which form their food ; and the distant howling of 
wolves gave me some hope that I should soon arrive at the skirts 
of some woodland. I did so, and almost at the same instant a 
fire-light attracting my eye, I moved toward it, full of confidence 
that it proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I 
was mistaken. I discovered, from its glare, that it was from the 
hearth of a small log- cabin, and that a tall figure passed and re- 
passed between it and me, as if busily engaged in household ar- 
rangements. I reached the spot, and, presenting myself at the 
door, asked the tall figure, which proved to be a woman, if I 
might take shelter under her roof for the night. Her voice was 
gruff, and her attire thrown negligently about her. She answered 
in the affirmative. I walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly 
seated myself by the fire. The next object that attracted my no- 
tice was a finely formed young Indian, resting his head between 
his hands, with his elbows on his knees. A long bow rested 
against a log wall near him, while a quantity of arrows and two 
or three raccoon skins lay at his feet. He moved not ; he appar- 
ently breathed not. Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, and 
knowing that they pay little attention to the approach of civilized 
strangers (a circumstance which, in some countries, is regarded as 
evidence of the apathy of his character), I addressed him in French, 
a language not unfrequently partially known to the people of the 
neighborhood. He raised his head, pointed with his finger to one 
of his eyes, and gave me a significant glance with the other. The 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 91 



fact was, that an hour before this, as he was in the act of dis- 
charging an arroAV at a raccoon, in the top of a tree, the arrow had 
struck upon a cord, and sprung back with such violence into his 
right eye as to destroy it forever. Feeling hungry, I inquired 
what sort of fare I might expect. Such a thing as a bed was not 
to be seen, but many large untanned bear and buffalo hides lay piled 
in a corner. I drew a fine time-piece from my breast, and told the 
woman that it was late, and that I was fatigued. She had espied 
my watch, the richness of which seemed to operate upon her feel- 
ings with electric quickness. She told me there was plenty of 
venison and jerked buffalo meat, and that, on removing the ashes, 
I should find a cake. But my watch had struck her fancy, and 
her curiosity had to be gratified by an immediate sight of it. I 
took the gold chain that secured it from around my own neck, and 
presented it to her. She was all ecstasy, spoke of its beauty, asked 
me its value, and put the chain around her brawny neck, saying 
how happy the possession of such a watch would make her. 
Thoughtless, and, as I fancied myself, in so retired a spot, secure, 
I paid little attention to her talk or her movements. I helped my 
dog to a good supper of venison. The Indian rose from his seat, 
as if in extreme suffering. He passed and repassed me several 
times, and once pinched me on the side so violently, that the pain 
nearly brought forth an exclamation of anger. I looked at him. 
His eye met mine ; but his look was so forbidding, that it struck 
a chill into the more nervous part of my system. He again seated 
himself, drew his butcher-knife from its greasy scabbard, exam- 
ined its edge as I would that of a razor suspected dull, replaced 
it, and again taking his tomahawk from his back, filled the pipe of 
it with tobacco, and sent me expressive glances whenever oiu - 
hostess chanced to have her back toward us. Never until this 
moment had my senses been awakened to the danger which I now 
suspected to be about me. I returned glance for glance to my 
companion, and rested well assured that, whatever enemies I might 
have, he was not of their number. I asked the woman for my 
watch, wound it up, and tinder pretense of wishing to see how 
the weather might probably be on the morrow, took up my gun, 
and walked out of the cabin. I clipped a ball into each barrel, 
scraped the edges of my flints, renewed the primings, and, return- 
ing to the hut, gave a favorable account of my observations. I 
took a few bear-skins, made a pallet of them, and calling my faith- 
ful dog to my side, lay down, with my gun close to my body, and 
in a few minutes was, to all appearances, fast asleep. A short 
time had elapsed, when some voices were heard, and from the 
corner of my eyes I saw two athletic youths making their entrance, 



92 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



bearing a dead stag on a pole. They disposed of their burden, 
and asking for whisky, helped themselves freely to it. Observing 
me and the wounded Indian, they asked who I was, and why the 
devil that rascal (meaning the Indian, who, they knew, understood 
not a word of English) was in the house. The mother (for so she 
proved to be) bade them speak less loudly, made mention of my 
watch, and took them to a corner, where a conversation took place, 
the purport of which required little shrewdness in me to guess. I 
tapped my dog gently ; he moved his tail, and, with indescribable 
pleasure, I saw his fine eyes alternately fixed on me and raised 
toward the trio in the corner. I felt that he perceived danger in 
my situation. The Indian exchanged a last glance with me. 
The lads had eaten and drunk themselves into such condition, that 
I already looked upon them as hors du combat ; and the frequent 
visits of the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth of their dam I hoped 
would soon reduce her to a like state. Judge of my astonishment, 
reader, when I saw this incarnate fiend take a large carving-knife, 
and go to the grindstone to whet its edge. I saw her pour the 
water on the turning-machine, and watched her working every 
way with the dangerous instrument, until the sweat covered every 
part of my body, in despite of my determination to defend myself 
to the last. Her task finished, she walked to her reeling sons, and 
said, ' There, that '11 soon settle him ! Boys, kill him ; and then 
for the watch.' I turned, cocked my gun-locks silently, touched 
my faithful companion, and lay ready to start up and shoot the 
first who might attempt my life. The moment was fast approach- 
ing, and that night might have been my last in this world, had not 
Providence made preparations for my rescue. All was ready. 
The infernal hag was advancing slowly, probably contemplating 
the best way of dispatching me, while her sons should be en- 
gaged with the Indian. I was several times on the eve of ris- 
ing and shooting her on the spot ; but she was not to be punished 
thus. The door was suddenly opened, and there entered two 
stout travelers, each with a rifle on his shoulder. I bounced up 
on my feet, and making them most heartily welcome, told them 
how well it was for me that they should arrive at that moment. 
The tale was told in a minute. The drunken sons were secured, 
and the woman, in spite of her defense and vociferations, shared 
the same fate. The Indian fairly danced with joy, and gave us to 
understand that, as he could not sleep for pain, he would watch 
over us. You may suppose we slept much less than we talked. 
The two strangers gave me an account of their once having been 
themselves in a somewhat similar situation. Day came, fair and 
rosy, and with it the punishment of our captives. They were now 



THE WESTERN" STATES AND TERRITORIES. 



93 



quite sobered. Their feet were unbound, but their arms were se- 
curely tied. We marched them into the woods off the road, and 
having used them as Regulators were wont to use such delin- 
quents, we set fire to the cabin, gave all the skins and implements 
to the young Indian warrior, and proceeded, well pleased, toward 
the settlements." 




Arms of Michigan. 



Arms of Wisconsin. 



Passing to the northeast, though yet in the region of the West, 
just above the Mississippi Valley proper, we find the country and 
people becoming more and more like those of the Eastern or Mid- 
dle States. Michigan is a fine thrifty State, settled chiefly from 
New York and New England, and making rapid progress in agri- 
culture and commerce. Lying snugly between the two great 
lakes, the Erie and the Michigan, and traversed through her entire 
breadth by a substantial railroad, she possesses superior advan- 
tages for trade and transportation. Some idea may be formed of 
the immense travel and business on this road, by a glance at the 
depot in Detroit — we presume, the largest in the country, being 
some 800 feet in length, and of proportional width and hight. 
Michigan has made ample provision for a complete system of 
common-school education, having reserved a sufficient amount of 
the public domain to endow a university, with different subordi- 
nate branches, as well as primary schools and grammar schools, 
for the whole population. 

Advancing further west, we find a new world forming in Wis- 
consin ; and still further, about the head- waters of the Mississippi, 
in the beautiful and diversified regions of Minesota, which has 
been styled the "New England of the West." "The gallant 
State of Wisconsin," says a writer in the National Era, " is laying 
a broad basis for the instruction of her youth. The number of 



94 



THE WOKLD WE LIVE IjST. 



acres in her school sections is 1,408,000, to which, if we add the 
500,000 acres ceded by Congress for school purposes, we have 
very nearly 2,000,000 acres in this State for a permanent school 
capital. These lands will yield, on an average, $5 per acre, which 
will give $10,000,000 as the school fund of Wisconsin ; more, by 
near $400,000, than that of New York. In addition to it, above 
46,080 acres of the best lands are set apart for the establishment 
of a university." 





Western School-Tea 



As to Minesota, it embraces an area of aoout one hundred and 
sixty-six thousand square miles along the banks of the Mississippi, 
and on the head-waters of rivers which flow into Hudson's Bay 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 



95 



and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, between the 47th and 48th parallel, 
full of beautiful lakes and streams, suitable for navigation and 
commerce, and of great variety and fertility of soil ; a land of 
promise to thousands of emigrants. 




H 



Arms of Iowa. 



To the south is the fine Territory, or rather State, of Iowa, with 
many Indians, but filling up with emigrants from the East, and 
destined to be one of the largest and most influential States in the 
West. 




Proceeding in the direction of the setting sun, you come to the 
vast regions of the Mandans, and crossing the Rocky Mountains, to 
the wide-spread lands, lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests, in- 



96 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



eluded in the newly acquired Territory of Oregon, lying north of 
California, and terminating on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. 

But we retrace our steps, and, standing once more on the banks 
of the Mississippi, let us form some estimate of the extent, popu- 
lation, and prospects of this wild, but magnificent West. Says a 
good authority — 

" The ' West', in distinction from the East, properly embraces 
all those States and Territories west of the Alleghanies, over the 
Rocky chain to the Pacific, commencing with the line of the fol- 
lowing States on the East, viz., Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
Alabama, and embracing Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, 
and the territory west of ,the Pacific. We will divide all the 
States west of the Alleghanies, for the sake of convenience, into 
Northwestern and Southwestern. The former, embracing Ohio, 
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin ; the 
latter, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ala- 
bama, and Texas. 

"The entire National Domain now amounts to 3,252,574 square 
miles. Deducting the territory occupied by the sixteen States, 
and one district east of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, 
equaling 427,500 square miles, and there remain 2,825,074 
square miles as the domain of the ' West,' or nearly seven- 
eighths of the whole, and containing fourteen organized States, 
occupying from 800,000 to 1,000,000 of square miles, or more 
than twice the territory embraced by the sixteen Eastern States 
and one District. The West is capable of making 70^ States as 
large as Ohio; 376§ as Massachusetts; and 21084^ as Rhode 
Island. If as many can subsist on its soil as are in England, then 
847,500,000 can find support on it ; or as found in Massachusetts, 
over 300,000,000. 

" A table, calculated by Dr. Patterson, of the United States 
Mint, in Philadelphia, showing the center of representative popu- 
lation of the United States at each census from 1790 to 1840, in- 
clusive, gives the following results: In 1790 the center of repre- 
sentative population was in Baltimore county, Maryland, forty-six 
miles north and twenty-two east- from Washington. In 1800 it 
was in Carroll county, Maryland, fifty-two miles north and nine 
east from Washington. In 1810 it was in Adams county, Penn- 
sylvania, sixty-four miles north and thirty west from Washington. 
In 1820 it was in Morgan county, Virginia, forty- seven miles 
north and seventy-one west from Washington. In 1830 it was 
in Hampshire county, Virginia, forty-three miles north and one 
hundred and eight west from Washington. In 1840 it was in 
Marion county, Virginia, thirty-six miles north and one hundred 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 97 



and sixty west from Washington. Thus it would appear that the 
center of representative population has kept nearly on the same 
parallel of latitude for fifty years, the latitude of 1840 being within 
ten miles of that of 1790. It has in the same fifty years moved 
westward one hundred and eighty-two miles. 

" Thus we perceive that the mass of representative population 
is moving westward with accelerated velocity. The following 
statement exhibits the fact : — 

"From 1790 to 1800, the movement West was 13 miles. 
" 1800 to 1810, do. do. 39 " 

" 1810 to 1820, do. do. 41 " 

" 1820 to 1830, do. do. 37 " 

" 1830 to 1840, do. do. 52 " 

" The center of representative population is now just about the 
Ohio River, and in 1850 will be in Washington or Monroe county. 

" Such is a glance at 'The West,' a region comprising 2,825,000 
square miles, now peopled with a population, exclusive of aborig- 
ines, of only ten millions, and capable of sustaining 847,500,000 
at the rate that England is populated. Such a number will be 
found upon it before the middle of the next century, according to 
the present rate of increase. Its mountains, valleys, lakes, and 
rivers are on the grandest scale. Its natural facilities for internal 
communication are great. The Missouri is 3600 miles in length, 
or more than twice as long as the Danube. The Ohio is 600 
miles longer than the Rhine. Its lakes extend from east to west 
over 15-j degrees of longitude, covering an area of 93,000 square 
miles, and draining a country of 400,000 square miles. The Mis- 
sissippi and its tributaries alone afford a steamboat navigation of 
25,000 or 30,000 miles. Its inland commerce in 1846 was 
$432,000,000, more than twice the foreign commerce of the 
country. The vast chains of railroads and dikes commenced, 
when completed, intersecting it in every direction, will enhance it. 
A more bountiful soil, giving richer remuneration to the cultivator, 
cannot be found on earth. Of all the great staples, coffee is the 
only one which does not grow in its limits. Already it has begun 
to pour into the lap of suffering Europe its surplus bread-stuffs. 
Last year it raised 3,000,000 surplus bushels of wheat, 35,000,000 
surplus barrels of flour, 17,000,000 surplus bushels of Indian 
corn, with potatoes and other vegetables, and meats in luxuriant 
proportion. For years, Europe will in a great degree be depend- 
ent on its markets for bread. It is said that the wheat raised in 
the section north of the Ohio River, bounded east by an imaginary 

5 



98 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 

line running north from Pittsburg to Lake Erie, and west by the 
Mississippi River, is sufficient to supply the demands of the United 
States, and that all raised elsewhere is surplus. 

"Nor is it less deficient in those other great resources in which 
the wealth of a nation is supposed in part to consist. Its mineral 
resources are inexhaustible. Ohio alone, without sinking a pit 
below the level of her valleys, could supply coal equal to the 
amount dug from the mines of England and Wales for twenty- five 
hundred years. Iron abounds from Tennessee to Lake Erie, and 
forms the very mountains of Missouri and Arkansas. Salt wells 
up from secret storehouses in every Northwestern State. ' Lead 
enough to supply the human race is raised from the great metallic 
dikes of Illinois and Wisconsin. Copper and silver beckon capi- 
talists to the shores of Lake Superior. The discoveries of gold in 
New California are of the most extraordinary character. 

" If the importance of the United States is seen from its extent 
of territory ; from its richness and variety of soil ; from its healthi- 
ness of climate, its mineral resources, and as furnishing a desirable 
abode for man, especially is that of the West seen from the same 
considerations, and from the fact that it constitutes seven-eighths 
of the whole domain ; that it is the granary of the United States ; 
that most of the great staples are derived from it ; that it contains 
the great lakes, the great rivers, the great mines ; that it pre- 
sents, from these considerations, the greatest attractions to emigrant 
man as a habitation ; that thitherward, in consequence, has been 
the greatest flow of population— its last decadal increase to that of 
the region east of the Alleghanies, having been in the ratio of 74 
to 16^ ; that within a very few years the preponderance in popu- 
lation, and consequently of political power, will be in its favor ; 
that, at the close of the present century, there will be contained 
within its limits at least 80,000,000 !" 

Of New Mexico, with its defective half-Indian, half-Mexican, 
half- American population, its long ranges of mountains, its exten- 
sive, and, in many respects, beautiful valley of the Rio del Norte, 
running through the center, we can say, at present, comparatively 
nothing. 

But we must add a few words respecting California, the richest 
recent acquisition of the United States — the El Dorado of the 
West — which is attracting the attention of the civilized, and in part 
of the savage, world, such is the potent spell of gold, with which 
it abounds. 

"The indications of its presence," says Senator Benton, "extend 
over an area of more than two thousand miles. They are in New 
Mexico — on the waters of the Middle Colorado — on the mountains 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 



99 



both beyond and on this side of the Sierra Nevada. Professor 
Dana, who was geologist to Captain Wilkes's Exploring Expedition, 
and who examined the country between the coast range and the 




Arms of California. 



Cascade range of mountains, found the gold-bearing rocks, as 
geologists call them, on theUmpqua, the Shastl, and the Tlamath 
rivers, and at the head of the Sacramento valley. He did not 
visit the Sierra Nevada, but said there was gold yet to be dis- 
covered in the Sacramento valley. It has been discovered, and 
no one can tell where it is to end. The Sierra Nevada is six 
hundred miles long, ten or twelve thousand feet high, and has a 
slope of from forty to seventy miles ; and all this seems to be an 
auriferous region. South of the Sierra Nevada are prolongations 
of the same chain and of the same character, and known to 
possess gold. The Ural Mountains, now yielding so much gold 
to Russia, are but twelve hundred miles long and five or six 
thousand feet high : the mountain chains in New Mexico and Cali- 
fornia which produce gold are near twice as long and twice as 
high as the Ural Mountains." Silver also abounds in California, 
and several mines of great richness have recently been opened. 
Cinnebar, platinum, lead, iron, copper, and sulphur all exist, 
apparently in large quantities. 

But the region itself, independently of its mineral treasures, is 
rich in natural resources. It is destined, owing to its locality on 
the western shores of the Pacific, and its harbor of San Francisco, 
one of the noblest in the world, to command the commerce of 
Asia. Its extent is great. From Cape Mendocino, at the borders 
of what used to be the United States, of which California now 
forms a part, to " the root" of the peninsula, is seven hundred 
miles, while Lower California stretches its long line, of country to 



100 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



an almost equal distance. The old region is for the most part a 
broken, hilly, and barren tract of land, but relieved occasionally by 
rich and beautiful plains. Alta California extends from the coast to 
New Mexico. The interior is a huge desert basin, but partially ex- 
plored, wooded, wild, and rocky, with a few lakes and streams, and 
peopled by savage Indian tribes. The great gold region is divided 
from this wilderness by the Sierra, or Snowy Range, between 
which and the sea lies another line of mountains, forming a 
valley of 500 miles in length, watered by the Sacramento and San 
Joachim, both rich in gold, and bordered by fertile valleys and 
wooded slopes, now filled with the hum of busy industry. These 
two streams form a junction in the center of the valley, and 
pour their united current into the harbor of San Francisco. The 
aspect of the country is diversified and beautiful. Green valleys 
and flowery slopes, deep woods, gleaming lakes, and verdant 
hills adorn the interior borders, backed by the dome-like spires of 
the Snowy Range, whose deep ravines and caverns are peopled by 
laborious gold-hunters. The banks of the rivers are becoming 
covered with cottages here and there in the more favored localities, 
while " amateur delvers" dig among the sands for the yellow 
treasure. 

As a whole, the country is fertile, producing abundance of 
grains, fruits, and vegetables, with excellent timber ; while fair 
meadows and pasture-grounds afford nourishment to the flocks 
and herds that once formed the principal wealth of California. 

The first discovery of gold was made by Captain Sutter, in 
1847, in his water-mill course, a thousand feet above thelev-ef-of 
the valley, where the Rio de los Americanos pours down from 
the Sierra Nevada, to swell the combined streams of the Sacra- 
mento and San Joachim. This was soon spread abroad, — gold- 
dust was discovered in other parts of the country, in the beds and 
sand-bars of the rivers, in the mountains, and in the valleys. It 
spread over the United States like lightning, and soon reached 
England, Spain, France, Germany, the Sandwich Islands, South 
America, and even China ; and from all these quarters thousands 
flocked to this new land of "golden" promise. The harbor of 
San Francisco was filled with vessels of various colors — cities, 
villages, hamlets, houses, tents, sprung up as by magic along the 
valleys and the streams. Soldiers abandoned their posts and citi- 
zens their employments, and hurried to the Sacramento and the 
San Joachim. Half-naked Indians ; " canny Scotchmen" and 
bustling Englishmen ; sharp-visaged Yankees in straw hats and 
loose frocks ; groups of swarthy Spanish Americans ; old Dons in 
the gaudy costumes of a dead fashion; gigantic trappers, with 



THE WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES. 101 



their rude prairie garb ; and gentlemen traders from the United 
States, with strange groups of Sandwich Islanders and waddling 
Chinese, "jostled in tumultuous confusion through the gold region." 
California at last, with her free institutions planted on the shores 
of the Pacific, was admitted into the American Union. Order, 
law, religion, prosperity, immediately ensued. Every where 
Christian enterprise follows in the track of commercial enterprise. 
Churches spring up in San Francisco, Sacramento, and other 
places, and of course schools and colleges will speedily follow. 
"American enterprise," says an English journal, "is clearing the 
forest lands, cleansing out mines, planning cities, speculating in 
town lots, erecting school-houses, universities, and churches ; while 
land is selling at prodigious prices. Dreaming adventurers call 
to mind the coffers of King Croesus, and hearing that in Cali- 
fornia there is 

' Gold to fetch, and gold to send, 
Gold to borrow, and gold to lend, 
Gold to keep, and gold to spend, 
And abundance of gold in futuro' 

pour in mad torrents to the favored land, while building up 
visionary castles more extravagant than those of the sanguine 
Alnaschar in the Thousand and One Nights." 

Much incidental evil doubtless comes of all this, — much suffer- 
ing and sorrow, much crime and death. Nevertheless, California 
is steadily rising in prosperity, and exerting a wide commercial 
and moral influence. 

Utah, the new and peculiar home of that strange, fanatical, 
half-Jewish, half-Mohammedan, half-Christian sect, the Mormons, 
demands a passing notice ; as it may figure, by-and-by, largely in 
the history of the Far "West. The name Utah is given to an 
extensive tract of country bounded by California, Oregon, and 
New Mexico, and what was formerly termed the great Western 
Territory. Considerable portions are wild and wooded, others are 
not only difficult of access, but rocky and sterile, covered with in- 
crustations of salt, or a giant species of sage, their only vegetation, 
of no use except to be consumed as fuel. In the midst of its 
snow-covered mountains, through which there is no access but by 
arid and lonely passes, choked live months of the year with snow- 
drifts, lies a tract of land, five thousand feet above the level of the 
sea, called The Great Basin, of considerable fertility, and by no 
means destitute of mineral treasures, in which the Mormons hoped, 
in " silence and secrecy," to form a new, peculiar, ecclesiastical 
empire. 



102 THE WORLD WE LIVE IW. 



But it has been discovered and overrun by the great stream of 
American emigration to California, and made "the Half-way- 
House" to the Pacific. 

" This basin is some 560 miles in diameter, has its own system 
of lakes and rivers, and has no known communication whatever 
with the sea, unless the existence of the whirlpools in the Salt 
Lake, which are reported to be lately discovered, should prove an 
internal communication with the Pacific, or with some spring or 
lake in the lower country. In the northern part of this basin lies 
the Great Salt Lake. The waters of this sheet are shallow, so 
far as explored, though probably its central parts' will be found 
very deep. Its waters are intensely salt, more so than the ocean 
— three gallons making one gallon of the purest, whitest, and 
finest salt. Southeast of this lake, shut in by the mountains, lies 
the Mormon Valley that contains their capital city, by some called 
the Great Salt Lake City ; by others, Mormon City. This valley 
is thirty miles by twenty-two, connected to another valley, which 
is about fifty miles by eight. These two valleys contain the prin- 
cipal body of the settlers. Explorers think that they are capable 
of supporting a population of a million. 

" Fifty miles south of the city is the Utah Lake and Valley. 
Here lies the city of Provo, on the Provo River. The lake is pure 
water, eight miles by four, and abounds in fish. There is still 
another valley one hundred miles further south, called San Pete, 
where there is another settlement ; and here we find the hiero- 
glyphic ruins, the remains of glazed pottery, &c, that indi- 
cate the former existence of the outlying cities of the Aztec 
Empire. 

" The soil of all these valleys is astonishingly productive, though 
requiring, constantly, artificial irrigation from the mountain streams. 
The climate is one of the healthiest, and the air the purest, on the 
continent. The neighboring mountains rise to the bight of a 
mile and a half above the valley, and are covered with perpetual 
snow. 

" The City is laid out in blocks of ten acres each ; eight lots to 
the block ; an acre and a quarter to the lot ; the streets eight 
rods wide ; each ten-acre block to be surrounded by a stream 
brought down from the mountains. No two houses front each 
other ; so that, standing in his own door, every man looks into his 
neighbor's garden. In the city are four public squares, to be sur- 
rounded with shade-trees, and supplied with fountains. 

" The peculiar locality of Utah will prove of immense service 
as a stopping-place for rest, refreshment, and provisions for the 
army of emigrants that will, year after year, seek California, or 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 



103 



Oregon, by the Southern Pass ; and when the great railway is 
established, it will prove of incalculable benefit as a great Station- 
House on the route." 




Commencing a Settlement. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 



Before leaving the United States, we will make a brief visit to 
the Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi, where the great 
body of the aboriginal tribes are now gathered, and where some 
of them, for example, the Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees, are 
advancing rapidly in agriculture, education, and Christianity. 
These tribes have formed constitutions similar to that of the 
United States, and have, within their domains, schools and 
churches, with a regular administration of justice. In nearly all 
the other States and Territories are some small and scattered rem- 
nants of Indian tribes ; but the larger and more influential tribes, 
and, indeed, the great majority of the Indian people, have taken 
up their abode beyond " the Father of Waters." To the south 
are the Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles, Cherokees, Senecas, and 
•Quapaws ; further north we find the Peorias, Delawares, Kansas, 



104 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



Gros Ventres, Kickapoos, Otoes, Missourias, the Pawnees, Oma- 
hoes, Pottawattamies, Iowas, and Foxes. Still further north, to- 
ward the head-waters of the Mississippi and Missouri, are the 
Sacs and Foxes, beyond whom, toward the west, are the Sioux 
and the Mandans ; while further west and north are the Crows 
and Blackfeet, ranging all the way from the Mandan Territory to 
the base of the Rocky Mountains. Beyond these mighty barriers 
are the Flatheads, and some other tribes, all the way to the shores' 
of the Pacific. In Texas, New Mexico, and California are numer- 
ous bands of native tribes, but generally inferior to those on the 
eastern side of the mountains, especially those in the Indian Ter- 
ritory proper, which has certain defined limits, extending from 
the western boundary of Arkansas and Missouri to that of the 
United States, lying between the Red River, on the north, and the 
Nebraska, on the south, or more generally, perhaps, the State of 
Texas, being about 600 miles in breadth and 700, more or less, in 
length, and containing an area of some 225,000 or 300,000 square 
miles. To the west of the Mandan Territory, properly Indian in 
its character, lies the Great American Desert, as it is called, which 
extends along the foot of the Rocky Mountains, with a breadth of 
about 500 miles, much of the soil being arid and barren, with stinted 
trees and shrubs. The eastern part of the Indian country is com- 
paratively fertile, and in many places rich and beautiful, with 
magnificent prairies and abundant rivers. The eye roams over 
boundless meadows, or flats, through which range the elk and the 
buffalo. " From St. Louis to the falls of the Missouri," says 
Catlin, " a distance of 2600 miles, is one continued prairie ; with 
the exception of a few of the bottoms formed along the banks of 
the river and the streams which are falling into it, which are often 
covered with the most luxuriant growth of forest timber. The 
summit-level of the great prairie, stretching off to the west and 
east from the river, to an almost boundless extent, is from two to 
three hundred feet above the level of the river, which, by its con- 
tinual overflowing, has formed deposits with a horizontal surface, 
spreading the deepest and richest alluvion over the surface of its 
meadows on either side, through which the river winds its serpen- 
tine course, alternately running from one bluff to the other, which 
present themselves to its shores in all the most picturesque and 
beautiful shapes and colors imaginable — some, with their green 
sides, gracefully sloping down in the most lovely groups to the 
water's edge ; while others, divested of their verdure, present them- 
selves in immense masses of clay of different colors, which arrest 
the eye of the traveler with the most curious views in the world." 
Upon these various forms of nature, the result of rains, frost, 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 105 



and other agents, travelers dwell with enthusiasm, as presenting 
in endless variety aspects of the sublime and picturesque, often 
appearing like the ruins of ancient cities, ramparts, terraces, 
domes, towers, citadels and castles, cupolas and magnificent por- 
ticoes, with here and there a solitary column and crumbling ped- 
estal and spire of clay which stand alone and glistening in the 
distance, as the sun's rays are refracted back by the thousand 
crystals of gypsum which are imbedded in the clay of which they 
are formed. . 

Among these wild and quiet haunts the mountain sheep and 
the fleet- bounding antelope sport and live in herds, secure from 
their enemies. Here also the grizzly bear has his chosen place of 
abode, where he sullenly sneaks through the gulfs, and chasms, 
and ravines, and frowns away the lurking Indian. 

But the most characteristic feature of the Indian Territory are 
the prairies, vast, silent, and solitary, except when disturbed by 
the yelp of the prairie-dog, the howl of the wolf, the tramp of the 
buffalo, the shout of the savage, or the roar of thunder. Here 
the Indian finds his game, and here the white man feels himself 
awed and subdued amid interminable, but sublime and attractive 
solitudes. Every where the splendid panorama of a new and pe- 
culiar world opens to his gaze, " with its thousands of miles, and 
tens of thousands of grassy hills and dales, where naught but 
silence reigns, and where the soul of a contemplative mold is 
seemingly lifted up to its Creator." 

Tbe Indians of North America, as is well known, are copper- 
colored, strong, tall, elastic and wiry, with black eyes, black hair, 
and high cheek-bones ; from whom descended, is an unsettled 
question, but, generally speaking, having certain features which 
ally them with the Tartars of the aboriginal East, the great fount- 
ain of nations. They are savages, but of the noblest stock, hav- 
ing traits of character which ally them to the best nations of the 
earth ; but rude, wild, uncultivated, the wandering denizens of 
the forest and wilderness. Once they numbered no less than 
16,000,000, but they have been scattered, peeled, destroyed by the 
knife, the bayonet, the bottle, the small-pox, and other diseases un- 
known to their fathers. Six millions alone have fallen victims to 
the small-pox. Of the 2,000,000 remaining, about 1,400,000 are 
already " the miserable victims and dupes of the white man's cu- 
pidity, degraded, discouraged, and lost in the bewildering maze that 
is produced by the use of whisky and concomitant vices ;" while 
the remaining number remain " yet unroused and unenticed from 
their wild haunts or their primitive modes by the dread or love of 
the white man and his allurements." 

5* 



106 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



It ought to be stated here, however, that the entire population 
within the Indian country proper is beginning to improve. The 
Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Creeks are already organ- 
ized States, having settled .constitutions, written laws, representa- 
tive, legislatures, and regular courts of justice. They are in- 
creasing in wealth and knowledge, in piety and virtue, and their 
example upon the' neighboring tribes is beginning to be deci- 
sively felt. 

As to the general character of the wild, uncultivated Indians, 
much magniloquent nonsense has been written. They are sav- 
ages, as we have already said, of a somewhat noble stock, with 
the virtues and vices of savages. Some writers have described 
them as dark, dishonest, cruel, relentless, and murderous in the 
extreme, with scarce a quality to elevate them above the brutes. 
Others have given them an elevated rank in the scale of humanity, 
as " honorable, humane, and highly intellectual beings." The 
truth probably lies between these extremes. The worst specimens 
of the Indians are on the frontiers, the best, perhaps, in their na- 
tive wilds, far beyond the pale of civilization ; for, alas ! most of 
these " sons of nature" seem incapable of learning any thing from 
the white man but his vices. Unless Christianized, they fall into 
deeper barbarism than that of their original state. That all of 
them have much of the tiger cunning and lion fierceness of the 
savage state, cannot be denied ; but they are generally brave, 
magnanimous, and hospitable, at least to those they deem their 
friends. They are capable of immense endurance, and of great 
heroism. The Mandans, as described by Catlin, have not only 
fine athletic forms, but possess many high qualities. He speaks 
of them as uniformly kind, hospitable, and even generous to him- 
self ; but then he passed among them for a " great medicine-man," 
a sort of " supernatural genius" having special endowments, a 
kind of character for whom they cherish a superstitious reverence. 
Catlin, however, goes into raptures over their fine forms, free, 
magnanimous natures, jovial looks, dignified deportment, merry 
talk, and happy lives. 

The Indians have some notion of a Great Spirit, who speaks in 
the thunder, and controls the winds and waves ; but with this 
notion, somewhat vague and local, they associate many ridiculous 
superstitions. Their government is simple and patriarchal. Po- 
lygamy is a common practice. Women are the servants of the 
men, perform the out-door as well as in-door labor, so that a man's 
wealth among them may be estimated by the number of his wives. 
They are fond of their children ; they are warmly attached to their 
friends, cruel and relentless to their enemies. Revenge is a uni- 



INDIAN TERRITORIES AND INDIANS. 107 



versal quality among the Indians. The men are all warriors ; 
fighting and hunting are the great business of their lives. They 
are fond of amusements ; and though dignified and silent among: 
strangers, are exceedingly free, garrulous, and merry among them- 
selves. They offer sacrifice, especially presents, to propitiate the 
Great Spirit.* Their " medicine-men," which means mystery- 
men, are their priests, doctors, and advisers, who, having power 
with the Great Spirit or Spirits, control the elements, bring rain, 
good luck, health, and buffalo-meat. As illustrative of their char- 
acter and superstitions, we give the following from Catlin, some- 
what condensed : 

It was a time of long and severe drought ; and there was little 
prospect among the Mandans of having any corn, of which they 
raise great quantities. The old women were groaning, and the 
young ones were sighing over their sad prospects. The medicine 
or mystery men, who, besides curing, by means of spells, incanta- 
tions, wild dances, and hideous yellings, all sorts of sickness, are 
also rain-makers, supposed to be capable of controlling the clouds 
of heaven, provided the medicine or mystic poiver be strong enough. 
They put off the women as long as they could, recommending 
patience as a special virtue. But the corn was growing yellow 
and withering, and the prospect of their annual festivity, " the 
green-corn dance," to which they attach great importance, was 
fast fading away. At last, however, the medicine-men were com- 
pelled to yield to the importunities of the people. They assembled 
in the council-house, with all their mystery apparatus about 
them, with an abundance of wild sage and other aromatic herbs, 
with a fire prepared to burn them, that their savory odors might 
be sent forth to the Great Spirit. The lodge was closed to all 
the villagers, except some ten or fifteen young men, who were 
willing to risk the dreadful alternative of making it rain or suffering 
the everlasting disgrace of failure. 

After the use of all sorts of spells and ceremonies in the lodge, 
they were called by lot, each in his turn, to spend a day upon the 
top of the lodge, to test the potency of his medicine ; the people 
gathered in a mass around the lodge, in solemn silence awaiting 
the result. While the venerable doctors were burning incense in 
the lodge below, chanting dismal songs and prayers for success to 
the Great Spirit, " who lives in the sun, and commands the thun- 
ders of heaven," Wah-kee (The Shield) was the first who as- 
cended the wigwam at sunrise. In vain, however, did he stand 

* Human sacrifices have been offered by some of the wilder tribes, but 
they are discontinued. 



108 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



all day, telling his beads, and invoking the clouds of heaven. Not 
a cloud was seen in the clear, hot heavens ; and at the setting of 
the sun, he descended from the lodge and went home, — " his 
medicine was not good," nor can he ever be a medicine-man. 

Om-pah (The Elk) Avas the next who ascended the lodge at sun- 
rise, his body entirely naked, and covered with yellow clay. On 
his left arm he carried a beautiful shield, and a long lance in his 
right ; and on his head the skin of a raven, the bird that soars 
amid the clouds, and above the lightning's glare.. He flourished 
his shield and brandished his lance in vain ; for at sunset the 
ground was dry, the squaws were crying, and their corn was with- 
ering at its roots. 

Wah-rah-pah (The Beaver) was the next, but the heavens were 
deaf to his voice ; and, next morning, Wak-a-dah-ha-hee (The 
White Buffalo's Hair), a small but beautifully proportioned young 
man, took the stand. He was dressed in a tunic and lego-ins of 
the skin of the mountain sheep, splendidly garnished with porcu- 
pine quills, and fringed with hair taken by his own hand from the 
scalps of his enemies. On his arm he carried his shield, made of 
the buffalo's hide ; its boss was the head of the war- eagle, and its 
front was ornamented with "red chains of lightning." In his 
left hand he clinched his sinewy bow and one single arrow. After a 
pompous speech to the assembled multitude, he promised, by the 
lightning of his shield, and the force of his arrow among the 
clouds, to bring down the rain, or take his place, in everlasting 
disgrace, among old women and dogs. After pouring contempt 
upon those who preceded, and especially upon " The Beaver," 
whose emblem lives under the water, and never wants it to rain, 
he said, " My friends ! I see you are in great distress, and noth- 
ing has yet been done ; this shield belonged to my father, the 
White Buffalo, and the lightning you see on it is red ; it was taken 
from a black cloud, and that cloud will come over us to-day. I 
am the White Buffalo's Hair — and I am the son of my father." 

In this manner flourished " The Hair of the AVhite Buffalo," 
alternately appealing to his audience and the heavens, holding 
converse with the winds and the je-bi (spirits) floating about them, 
stamping his feet over the Magi involved in mysteries beneath, 
and invoking the spirits of darkness to send rain upon the fields. 

It happened on this memorable day, about noon, that the steam- 
boat " Yellow Stone," on her first trip up the Missouri River, and 
the first in that region the Indians had ever seen, approached and 
landed at the Mandan village. No rain appeared, but a salute of 
twenty guns, of twelve pounds calibre, was fired from the steamer. 
The Indians supposed it to be thunder. All eyes were fixed upon 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 109 



the "White Buffalo's Hair," who turned this new sound to good 
account. The medicine-men were coming out of the lodge to be- 
stow upon him the envied title of medicine-man, or doctor — wreaths 
were prepared to decorate his brow — with eagles' plumes and cal- 
umets to do him honor — his friends rejoiced — his enemies wore 
on their faces a silent gloom and hatred. 

During all this excitement " The White Buffalo's Hair" kept 
his position, assuming the most commanding and threatening as- 
pects, brandishing his spear in the direction of the thunder, though 
not a cloud was to be seen, until he, poor fellow, being elevated 
above the rest of the village, espied, to his inexpressible amaze- 
ment, the steamboat plowing its way up the windings of the 
river, puffing steam from her pipes, and sending forth the thunder 
from her guns. The White Buffalo's Hair stood pale and petri- 
fied, when, with trembling lips, he turned to the multitude and 
said, " My friends, we will get no rain ! there are, you see, no 
clouds ; but my medicine is great, I have brought a thunder-boat ! 
Look and see it ! The thunder you hear is out of her mouth, and 
the lightning you see is on the waters !" 

At this intelligence the whole village flew to the tops of their 
wigwams, and gazed, with affright, upon the huge monster which 
approached them. Descending, they stood their ground manfully 
for a few moments ; when, by an order of their chiefs, all hands 
were ensconced within the pickets of their village, and all the 
warriors armed for desperate defense. 

The steamer was soon moored. Three or four chiefs boldly 
advanced to the river, with a spear in one hand and a calumet 
(pipe) of peace in the other. The Indian agent, an old acquaint- 
ance of theirs, made his appearance, and all their fears were speed- 
ily allayed. 

But where was the Rain-maker ? Appalled at the " thunder- 
boat," or fearing the inevitable scom and disgrace into which he 
must fall, he slunk off and hid himself ; but being reassured, he 
began to mingle with the crowd, and congratulated them on the 
arrival of their friends with the boat, pretending that he had fore- 
seen the whole. Toward evening a cloud appeared in the sky, 
and "The White Buffalo's Hair," more watchful than others, in- 
stantly took his place on the top of the lodge, stiffened and braced 
to the last sinew, with his arrow pointed toward the cloud, now 
coming over the village. The multitude were again drawn to- 
gether, and " The White Buffalo's Hair" vaunted his superhuman 
powers, waved his spe^r and stamped his foot, at the same time 
oommanding the cloud to come near, that he might draw down 
its contents on the corn-fields of the Mandans. In this wise he 



110 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



stood, waving his shield over his head, stamping his foot, and 
frowning as he drew his bow and threatened the heavens, com- 
manding it to rain — his bow was bent, and the arrow, drawn to its 
head, was sent to the cloud, and he exclaimed, " My friends, it is 
done ! Wak-a-dah-ha-hee's arrow has entered that black cloud, 
and the Mandans will be wet with the water of the skies." His 
prediction was fulfilled, and in a few minutes the rain fell in 
torrents. 

The great medicine-man, who had made it rain, of course 
awaited his well-earned honors. All night it continued to rain, the 
thunder broke in terrible peals over the village, and one flash of 
lightning pierced through a wigwam and killed a beautiful girl ! 

Here was food and fresh fuel for their superstitions. The 
dreams of the new-made medicine-man were troubled, and he had 
dreadful apprehensions for the coming day ; for he knew that he 
was subject to the irrevocable decree of the chiefs and doctors, 
who canvass every strange event with eager and superstitious 
scrutiny, and let vengeance fall without mercy upon its immediate 
cause. Indeed, it was possible that the life of the poor man 
might pay the forfeit of his "audacity ; for he himself ascribed the 
death of the girl to his criminal desertion of his post on the ap- 
pearance of the "thunder-boat." 

In the morning, having learned from his friends the opinion of 
the wise men, and the nature . of the tribunal that was preparing 
for him, he sent to the prairie for his three horses, and mounted 
the medicine lodge, around which in • a few moments the villagers 
gathered. " My friends," said he, " I see you all around me, and 
I am before you ; my medicine, you see, is great — it is too great — 
I am young, and I was too fast — I knew not when to stop. The 
wigwam of Mah-sish is laid low, and many are the eyes that weep 
for Ko-ka (The Antelope). Wak-a-dah-ha-hee gives three horses 
to gladden the hearts of those who weep for Ko-ka ; his medicine 
was great — his arrow pierced the black cloud, and the lightning 
came, and the thunder -boat also ! Who says the medicine of Wak- 
a-dah-ha-hee is not strong ?" 

At the close of this sentence a unanimous shout of approbation 
went up from the multitude, and " The Hair of the White Buf- 
falo" descended among them, where he was greeted by shakes of 
the hand, and among whom he now lives and thrives under the fa- 
miliar and honorable appellation of the "Big Double Medicine!" 

The Indians always succeed in procuring rain, for the simple 
reason that they continue their conjurations until it comes ; and a 
great medicine-man who has succeeded in drawing down the bless- 
ing, seldom makes a second attempt. 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. m 



The following amusing account of a medicine-man is given by 
Col. McKinney, who met him among the Choctaws : 

" 1 shook hands with him, and told him I was glad to see him ; 
that I had heard of his greatness, and that I was so anxious to 
know the secret of rain-making, that I would give him an order 
on the agent for a pair of scarlet leggins, a pound of tobacco, a 
string of wampum, a pound of powder, two pounds of lead, and 
a blanket, if he would tell me all about it. He stood up and 
looked around him, and then holding his head first on one side 
and then on the other, listened ; when, looking well round him 
again, he sat down, saying to the interpreter, ' Ask him if he will 
give me these things.' ' Most certainly,' I replied, ' upon the con- 
dition that he will tell me all about his art as a rain-maker.' He 
stood up again, and looked and listened, and then seating himself, 
began : 

" ' Long time ago, I was lying in the shade of a tree on the side 
of a valley. There had been no rain for a long time ; the tongues 
of the horses, and cattle, and dogs, all being out of their mouths, 
and they panted for some water. I was thirsty ; every body was 
dry. The leaves were all parched up, and the sun was hot. I 
was sorry ; when, looking up, the Great Spirit snapped his eyes, 
and fire flew out of them in streams all over the heavens. He 
spoke, and the earth shook. Just as the fire streamed from the 
eyes of the Great Spirit, I saw a pine-tree, that stood on the other 
side of the valley, torn all to pieces by the fire. The bark and 
limbs flew all round, and then all was still. Then the Great Spirit 
spoke to me, and said : " Go to that pine-tree, and dig down to 
the root where the earth is stirred up, and you will find what split 
the tree. Take it, wrap it carefully up, and wear it next your 
body ; and when the earth shall become dry again, and the horses 
and cattle suffer for water, go out on some hill-top, and ask me, 
and I will make it rain." I have obeyed the Great Spirit ; and 
ever since, when I ask him, he makes it rain.' 

" I asked to see this thunderbolt that had shivered the pine- 
tree. He rose upon his feet again, and looking well around him, 
sat down ; and drawing from his bosom a roll which was fastened 
round his neck by a bit of deer-skin, began to unwrap the folds. 
These were of every sort of thing — a piece of old blanket, then 
one of calico, another of cotton, laying each piece, as he removed 
it, carefully on his knee. At last, and after taking off as many 
folds as were once employed to incase an Egyptian mummy, he 
came to one that was made of deer-skin, which, being unwound, 
he took out the thunderbolt, and holding it with great care be- 
tween his finger and thumb, said, ' This is it !' I took it and 



112 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



examined it, with an expression of great interest, telling him it 
certainly was a wonderful revelation and a great sight ; then 
handing it back to him, he carefully wrapped it up again with 
the same wrappers, and put it back in his bosom. 

" The reader is no doubt curious to know what this talismanic 
charm, this thunderbolt, was. Well, it was nothing more nor less 
than that part of a glass stopper that fills the mouth of a decanter, 
the upper or flat part having been broken off ! 

"■ I wrote and gave him an order for the presents, when he 
shook hands and left me, doubtless much edified as well as bene- 
fited by the interview, to carry on his operations as a rain-maker 
till it should rain." 

As hunting and war are the great employments of the Indians, 
most of their amusements have reference to the one or the other. 
They are fond of wild and furious dances, in which they shout and 
yell like demons let loose from Pandemonium, throw themselves 
into all grotesque and horrible attitudes, and whirl round and 
round, accompanied with song and beat of drum. Among 
these is the " buffalo dance," in which, dressed in buffalo-skins, 
with their ghastly-looking heads covering their own, they dance 
from day to day until the buffalo come ; and the bear dance, in 
which many of the dancers wear masks made of the skin of the 
bear's head. In this, as in the buffalo dance, they imitate the 
motions of the animals in whose honor the dance is given, and 
jump and yell to their own infinite satisfaction, and the great 
amusement of " the gentler sex," to whom the honor of mingling 
in such grave and lordly exercise is not conceded. They have 
also the beggar s dance, the object of which is to excite commiser- 
ation for the poor. In this dance every one sings as loud as he 
can shout, uniting his voice with others in an earnest appeal to the 
Great Spirit to open the hearts of the bystanders to give to the 
poor. They love especially the scalp dance, which is given as a cel- 
ebration of a victory ; it is' often danced in the night, by the light 
of torches, and is continued a number of nights in succession. The 
scalps are held up as tokens of prowess ; the warriors brandish 
their weapons, shout, yell, and groan, twist their faces and limbs 
into the most hideous shapes, jumping, rushing, and roaring to- 
gether in a circle ; seizing each other by the hair, stamping, strik- 
ing, cutting and carving each other to pieces, as if in actual 
combat. The gnashing of teeth, the hiss and rush, the whoop 
and groan of these dances, at the dead of night, in the solemn 
wilderness, under the glaring light of torches, are said to be inex- 
pressibly horrible and appalling. 

Indeed, the dances of the Indians are innumerable. Every 



114 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 




INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 115 



thing among them, whether pertaining to common life, to war, or 
to religion, is danced. Their prayers to the Great Spirit are made 
by dancing. Scarce an hour elapses, by night or day, when the 
drum is not heard. The living and the dead are honored by 
dances. The medicine-man, dressed in the most frightful-looking 
wolf or bear robes, dances around the bed of the dying. 

But we have not space to dwell upon these customs of savage 
life. It is a more interesting consideration that the Indians, with 
all their wildness, are capable of the highest acts of heroism and 
magnanimity, a number of striking instances of which are related 
in the '.' Memoirs of Col. McKinney," and, above all, that they are 
susceptible of the highest cultivation. Some have thought that 
the Indians could never emerge from their savage state, and that 
it was folly to attempt their civilization, and especially their con- 
version to Christianity. But this notion has been refuted by facts. 
One of the noblest and most beautiful of the race, the far-famed 
Pocahontas, was a true convert to the Christian faith. She was 
baptized in the small, rude church at Jamestown, by the name of 
Rebecca. In Capt. Smith's account of her, she is called " the first 
Christian convert of that nation, the first Virginian that ever spoke 
English." In another place he says : "In London, divers court- 
iers and others of my acquaintances have gone with me to see 
her, that generally concluded God had a great hand in her con- 
version." 

" Star of Virginia ! in her darkest hour 

Her joy, her theme of glory and of song ; 
Her wild, red rose, that in the Stuart's bower 
Shed grace, not took it from the courtly throng. 

" Her, her I sing not — and yet her I sing, 

Freed from earth-worship, cleansed from rites obscene — 
Who from unnumbered gods to Zion's King 
Escaping, waves her palm of deathless green. 

" First convert of the West ! The Indian child 

A Christian matron stands, from whose sweet tongue 
Flows the pure stream of English undefiled, 
Flows the deep anthem and eternal song. 

She died afar : no pilgrim finds her tomb — 

Unknown the spot, yet holy is the ground ; 
The Savior's breath there left a rich perfume, 

And angels keep their guardian watch around. 

" As Pocahontas, while these skies remain, 
Still shall our zodiac show the virgin sign ; 
But as Rebecca, when yon stars shall wane, 

Yon heavens roll by, she as a star shall shine !" 

Miss Caulktns. 



116 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



A host of other Indians, some of them chiefs and warriors, have 
also been converted, and by the meekness, purity, and dignity of 
their lives, the serenity, beauty, and triumph of their deaths, have 
proved the " divinity" of their faith. Who has not heard of the 
famous Oneida chief, Skenendoah, " whose pathway for sixty years 
had been marked with blood, whose terrible war-whoop rang for 
many years through the Mohawk Valley, and who was in all 
respects the cruel, the indomitable savage?" But under the in- 
fluence of the Gospel the lion was turned into a lamb ; the toma- 
hawk fell from his grasp, and his long life was one continued 
hymn of holy love and joy. He died at the age of a hundred 
years. A short time previous to his death, a friend calling to see 
him and inquiring after his health, received this answer: "I am 
an aged hemlock ; the winds of a hundred winters have whistled 
through my branches. I am dead at the top" (referring to his 
blindness). "Why I yet live, the great Good Spirit only knows. 
When I am dead, bury me by the side of my minister and friend" 
— (Rev. Mr. Kirkland, under whose ministry he had been awak- 
ened and converted) — " that I may go up with him at the great 
resurrection !" 

We give only another instance of a similar kind, that of Kusick, 
chief of the Tuscaroras, who lived in Western New York many 
years, a good man and a minister of the Gospel to his own people. 
As Col. McKinney will not be suspected of undue partiality in 
such a case, we give- his account of this interesting Indian chief. 

" He had served under Lafayette, in the army of the Revo- 
lution. It was usual for him, in company with a few of his lead- 
ing men, to visit, once in every two or three years, the State of 
North Carolina, whence his tribe originally came, to see after 
some claims they had upon that State. In passing through 
Washington, the old chief would call at my office, for the purpose 
of submitting his papers and of counseling with me. On one of 
these occasions he made a call before bi'eakfast, at my residence, 
accompanied by his companions. A neighbor had stepped in to 
see me, on his way to his office, and our conversation turned on 
Lady Morgan's France, which had just then been published, and 
was lying on my table. We spoke of Lafayette. The moment 
his name was mentioned, Kusick turned quick upon me his fine 
black eyes, and asked, with great earnestness — 

" ' Is he yet alive — the same Lafayette that was in the Revolu- 
tionary war ?" 

" ' Yes, Kusick,' I answered, ' he is alive, and he is the same 
Lafayette who was in that war. That book speaks of him as 
being not only alive, but looking well and hearty.' 



INDIAN TERRITORY AND INDIANS. 11 7 



'-'He said, with deep emphasis, ' I'm glad to hear it.' 

" ' Then you knew Lafayette, Kusick ?' . 

" ' Oh, yes,' he answered, ' I knew him well ; and many a time 
in the battle I threw myself between him and the bullets, for I 
loved him.' 

" ' Were you in commission ?' 

" ' Oh, yes,' he replied, ' I was a lieutenant ; Gen. Washington 
gave me a commission.' 

" My friend (the late venerable Joseph Nourse, at that time 
Register of the Treasury) and myself agreed to examine the rec- 
ords, and see if the old chief was not entitled to a pension. We 
(or rather, he) did so. All was found to be as Kusick reported 
it, when he was put on the pension list. 

"Some years after, in 1827, when passing through the Tusca- 
rora reserve on my way to the wilderness, I stopped opposite his 
log-cabin, and walked up to see the old chief. I found him en- 
gaged drying fish. After the usual greeting, I asked him if he 
continued to receive his pension. 

" ' No,' said the old chief — ' no ; Congress passed a law making 
it necessary for me to swear I cannot live without it. Now, here 
is my little log-cabin, and it's my own ; here's my patch, where I 
can raise corn, and beans, and pumpkins ; and there's Lake 
Oneida, where I can catch fish. With these I can make out to 
live without the pension ; and to say I could not, would be to 
lie to the Great Spirit!' 

" Here was principle and deep piety, and a lesson for many 
whose advantages had far exceeded those of this poor Indian. 
In connection with this, I will add another anecdote in proof of 
his veneration for the Deity. He breakfasted with me on the 
mornino- to which I have referred ; and knowing him to be a 
teacher of the Christian religion among his people, and an inter- 
preter for those who occasionally preached to them, I requested 
him to ask a blessing. He did so, and in a manner so impressive 
as to make me feel that he was deeply imbued with the proper 
spirit. He employed in the ceremony his native Tuscarora. I 
asked him why, as he spoke very good English, he had asked the 
blessing in his native tongue. He said — 'When I speak English, 
I am often at a loss for a word. When, therefore, I speak to the 
Great Spirit, I do not like to be perplexed, or have my mind dis- 
tracted to look after a word. When I use my own language, it 
is like my breath ; I am composed.' Kusick died an honest man 
and a Christian, and, though an Indian, has doubtless entered into 
bis rest." 

We may add, that Kusick was a member of the Baptist denom- 



118 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN", 



ination, and highly honored among them, especially by those who 
knew him personally. He possessed a mild and generous spirit, 
and died, in a good old age, full of faith and holy joy. 




Hunters and Grizzly Bear. 



CHAPTER IX. 



REGIONS TO THE NORTH OF THE UNITED STATES. 



North of the United States, in the direction of the polar seas, 
bounded on the one side by Russian America, and on the other 
by the Atlantic Ocean, lie vast tracts of county, of greater or 
less value for agricultural or commercial purposes, belonging to 
the British government. Of these the most important is Canada, 
formerly divided into Upper and Lower, now Western and East- 
ern Canada, occupied by a somewhat mixed population, consisting 
of colonies from France, England, Ireland, and Scotland, with 
here and there some scattered tribes of Indians. Canada covers 
the whole of the country lying north of the great lakes and rivers, 
drained by streams falling into the river St. Lawrence, and con- 
taining an area of about 1300 miles long and 700 broad, in all 
about 348,000 square miles. Filled with lakes and streams, and 
containing every variety of climate and soil, with a river, lake, and 
ocean navigation which, under favorable circumstances, might 
command the commerce of the world, Canada possesses great 



REGIONS NORTH OF THE UNITED STATES. 119 



natural resources. The population is about a million and a half, 
the majority of whom are of French origin, and speak the French 
language. But these French Canadians, however polite and viva- 
cious, are far behind their neighbors in vigor, intelligence, and 
enterprise. The single fact that only one in ten of the whole 
male population can read, reveals a mournful state of ignorance, 
prejudice, and degradation. The other portion of the population, 
consisting chiefly of English, Scotch, and Irish, are much more 
intelligent and enterprising, and are making great and rapid prog- 
ress. The French, with slight exceptions, are Catholics, entirely 
imder the domination of their priests, who possess considerable 
wealth and influence. 

This difference of races, with a partial dependence, in all mat- 
ters of government, upon the mother- country, has greatly hin- 
dered the prosperity of Canada, and still threatens her future 
peace and prosperity. Still, her progress in agriculture, com- 
merce, and even in religion and education, are highly commend- 
able. The principal cities are Quebec,. Montreal, and Toronto, 
the last of which is now the seat of government. The climate is 
severe in winter, though warm and genial during the brief and 
rapid summer. In general, the people are thrifty, hospitable, and 
agreeable in their manners. The French are lively and pleasant, 
fond of amusements, and greatly addicted to dancing, horse-racing, 
and merry-makings of every sort. Sunday is their great /^te-day ; 
though every day that can be spared, and every evening, particu- 
larly in winter, is devoted to amusement. Great crimes are un- 
common among the French Canadians ; and, perhaps, great vir- 
tues are equally scarce. Multitudes of the females are employed 
in out-door labor, and look old and ugly long before they attain 
old age. The French population long for independence and self- 
government, and sometimes talk of annexation to the United 
States, but it is a mistake to suppose that they do so from love of 
any thing like legitimate freedom or pure republicanism. 

Beyond Canada stretch wide and desolate regions, occupied by 
Indians, bears, and wolves. The Esquimaux, though Indian in 
their character and habits, have some traits of form and personal 
appearance resembling Europeans. They are of small stature, 
but firm and hardy, live by hunting and fishing, and, notwith- 
standing the hardships to which they are exposed, and their rough 
manner of living, enjoy, it is said, a fair amount of material enjoy- 
ment. They have but little or no idea of a Supreme Being, and 
place their chief delight in eating and merry-making. They are, 
in fact, mere children, with little knowledge and little morality, 
"pleased with a rattle and tickled with a straw." They dress in 



120 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



skins, and in winter "burrow" like dogs under the snow. They 
are excessive eaters, whenever they have opportunity of indulging 
their appetite. No matter what their food is, though mere offal, 
they devour it with greediness. Captain Parry states that he has 
known them, after a long fast, eat vigorously for hours, and the 
quantity consumed was in proportion to the time. He says that 
he " speaks within bounds" in stating that " a little girl" got 
through " eight pounds of solids" in a day, and he mentions that 
a lad consumed in twenty hours the following things, and did not 
think the effort extraordinary ! — Sea-horse flesh, frozen, four 
pounds and four ounces ; the same, boiled, four pounds and four 
ounces ; head, one pound and twelve ounces ; in addition to which 
he swallowed one pint and a half of rich gravy soup, three wine- 
glasses of raw spirits, one tumbler of strong grog, and one gallon 
and one pint of water. The Esquimaux are much dependent upon 
their fine race of dogs, which they harness to little sleds, and 
make their way, with considerable rapidity, over the frozen snow. 
They are fond of dancing and all sorts of trivial amusements. 
Captain Parry introduced "leap-frog" among them, with which 
they were excessively delighted. A little present will throw them 
into fits of incontrollable laughter. They are said to be affection- 
ate to their children, but ungrateful, dishonest, and treacherous. 
The Moravian missionaries have labored for their benefit with much 
patience and very gratifying success. The change in the charac- 
ter and manners of the converts has been striking. 

Similar to the Esquimaux, of the same race, language, and 
manners, in fact, are the natives of Greenland. Quite a number 
of them have been converted under the self-denying labors of the 
Moravians. 

But the most interesting people in these polar regions of eternal 
ice and snow are the inhabitants of Iceland, that singular, rocky 
island, with its mighty heart of flame, ever-burning Hecla, and 
perennial springs of boiling water. Iceland, however, belongs to 
Europe. Its people are of the best Norwegian stock, and are 
singularly intelligent, pious, and happy, forming in this respect 
the most striking contrast to the natives of Greenland or Labrador. 
Religion and education are universally diffused. Their manners 
are simple and courteous ; their amusements grave and dignified. 
They belong to the Lutheran branch of the Christian faith, and 
are warmly attached to the customs of their fathers. The reli- 
gious sentiment is the predominant one in their character. The 
common salutation on meeting is Oriental, borrowed evidently from 
the Scriptures — " Peace be with you !" To which the response is, 
" The Lord bless you !" On knocking at a door for admission, it 



REGIONS NORTH OF THE UNITED STATES. 121 



is customary to say — " The Lord be in this place !" to which the 
reply is — " The Lord bless you !" It is the universal custom to 
give thanks, with clasped hands, before and after meals. At 
meeting and parting, the kiss of peace is the ordinary salutation. 
Before and after crossing a river, the Icelander takes off his hat 
and offers a short prayer, and also when he starts in a boat from 
the shore. As characteristic of the simplicity and elevation of 
their faith, the Rev. Dr. Henderson gives the following example : 
" I could not but notice," says he, " the manner in which my 
hostess spoke of her children. On my inquiring how many she 
had, she replied, ' / have four ; two of them are here with us, and 
the other two are with God. It is the best with those that are with 
Him, and my chief concern about those that remain is, that they 
may reach heaven in safety.' " 

The Icelanders have cultivated literature with success. Few 
people are more intelligent and refined. On winter evenings 
one of the family is selected to read some instructive or entertain- 
ing work, while the rest ply their tasks. In fact, the Icelanders 
are among the happiest and most virtuous people on the face of 
the earth ; a result to be ascribed to nothing but the prevalence 
among them of a pure and primitive Christianity. 

Settled as early as the ninth century, Iceland was long an in- 
dependent republic. In 1264 it passed under the dominion of 
the King of Norway, with which country it was subsequently 
transferred to the crown of Denmark, under which it now remains. 
No person ever suffered capital punishment in Iceland. Persons 
amenable to this extreme penalty are sent for execution to Copen- 
hagen, no Icelander being willing to become executioner in such 
a case. The laws are mild, and great crimes are exceedingly 
rare. The people form a single family, so to speak, dwelling alone, 
in their far island fastness; in a word, " a peculiar people," holy, 
peaceful, and happy. 

6 



122 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER X, 

MEXICO. 



It is time again to pass southward ; so leaving the regions of 
eternal snow, we traverse, once more, the lands through which 
we have already passed, and after a few weeks of travel, again 
strike the " Father of Waters," reach the city of New Orleans, 
whence we proceed across the Gulf of Mexico, and find ourselves 
wandering amid the rich valleys and lofty mountains of Mexico. 
This naturally fertile and beautiful country lies along the shores 
of the Pacific on the one side, and the Atlantic on the other, 
forming a tract of land of almost unequaled variety. It belongs 
to the tropics, and yet has all the climates and productions of 
more temperate regions. This arises from the inequalities of its 
surface, and the influence of its mountain ranges. It is composed, 
indeed, of three plateaus or terraces, of unequal hight, and of 
different temperatures and productions. The first of these, form- 
ing a narrow track along the coast of the Atlantic, is intensely 
hot, thence called by the inhabitants tierra caliente, having the 
ordinary temperature of equinoctial countries. Burning plains, 
sandy and barren, are intermingled with others of exuberant fer- 
tility, covered with aromatic shrubs and wild flowers, among 
which rise to a great hight magnificent tropical trees laden with 
blossoms and fruit. This is the region of deathly malaria and 
destructive thunder-storms. The season of the bilious fever — 
vomito — the scourge of these coasts, lasts from spring to the au- 
tumnal equinox, when it is checked by the cold winds which de- 
scend from Hudson's Bay, but which in winter often " freshen" 
into fearful tempests and desolating hurricanes. 

Some twenty leagues beyond this fervid region, the land begins 
to ascend, and we find ourselves in a purer atniosphere. The 
landscape insensibly changes, passing gradually from the torrid to 
the temperate zone. Still, it is warm and genial,. and although 
the " vanilla, the indigo, and the flowering cacao groves," are left 
behind, the " sugar-cane and the glossy-leaved banana" still ac- 
company us. Ascending further, about four thousand feet, we 
see, " in the unchanging verdure, and the rich foliage of the liquid 
amber-tree, that we have reached the hight where clouds and 
mists settle in their passage from the Mexican Gulf." This is the 
region of " perpetual humidity," but it is free from malaria and 
pestilence. " The features of the scenery become grand, and even 



MEXICO. 



123 




MEXICO. 125 



tei'rible. Our road sweeps along the base of mighty mountains, 
once gleaming with volcanic fires, and still resplendent in their 
mantles of snow, which serve as beacons to the mariner, for many 
a league at sea. All around we behold traces of their ancient 
combustion, as the road passes along vast tracts of lava, bristling 
in the innumerable fantastic forms into which the fiery torrent has 
been thrown by the obstacles in its career. Perhaps at the same 
moment, as we cast our eye down some steep slope, or almost un- 
fathomable ravine, on the margin of the road, we see their depths 
glowing with the rich blooms and enameled vegetation of the 
tropics." 

Advancing still further upward, we mount into other climates, 
with other styles of cultivation, more nearly resembling those of 
Europe or of the United States. Indian corn, of course, is found 
in the warmer levels below, and covers these more temperate re- 
gions ; but here, also, extensive fields of wheat greet the ' eye, 
mingled with plantations of the aloe, or American agave, applied 
to such a variety of uses by the ancient inhabitants of Mexico. 
Lofty oaks and forests of pine give proof that we have entered 
what the Mexicans call the tierra fria, or cold region, the third 
and last of the great natural terraces into which the country is 
divided. When we have climbed to the hight of between seven 
and eight thousand feet, " we stand upon the summit of the Cor- 
dillera of the Andes, that colossal range, that, after traversing: 
South America and the Isthmus of Darien, spreads out as it enters 
Mexico into that vast sheet of table-land, which maintains an 
elevation of more than six thousand feet, for the distance of nearly 
two hundred leagues, until it gradually declines into the higher 
latitudes of the north." 

" Across this mountain rampart a chain of volcanic hills," says 
Prescott, whose admirable sketch we are mainly following, 
"stretches, in a westerly direction, of still more stupendous di- 
mensions, forming, indeed, some of the highest land on the globe. 
Their peaks, entering the limits of perpetual snow, diffuse a grate- 
ful coolness over the elevated plateaus below ; for these last, 
though termed cold, enjoy a climate the mean temperature of 
which is not lower than that of the central parts of Italy. The 
air is exceedingly dry ; the soil, though naturally good, is rarely 
clothed with the luxuriant vegetation of the lower regions. It 
frequently, indeed, has a parched and barren aspect, owing partly 
to the greater evaporation which takes place on these lofty plains, 
through the diminished pressure of the atmosphere ; and partly, 
no doubt, to the want of trees to shelter the soil from the fierce 
influence of the summer sun. In the time of the Aztecs, the 



126 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



table-land was thickly covered with larch, oak, cypress, and other 
forest trees, the extraordinary dimensions of some of which, re- 
maining to the present day, show that the curse of barrenness in 
later times is chargeable more on man than on nature." 

In the central region, midway between the continent, though 
somewhat nearer the Pacific than the Atlantic Ocean, at an eleva- 
tion of nearly seven thousand five hundred feet, lies the remark- 
able valley of Mexico, encircled by a colossal rampart of porphy- 
ritic rocks, and forming a circumference of about sixty-seven 
leagues, with a sky of the deepest blue, a serene atmosphere, and 
a magnificent landscape. 

In this rare valley, with its five ancient lakes, snow-crowned 
volcanoes, and fertile plains, stands the city of Mexico, one of the 
richest and most beautiful cities in the world, with its crowded 
population and innumerable spires and domes. This was the 
Mazitli, so called from one of their gods, or Tenochtitlan of the 
Aztecs, richer and far more beautiful even than it is now, standing 
in the midst of its five great lakes, now much shrunk in their di- 
mensions, upon green and flower-enameled islands, like Venice 
amid the waves, with myriads of Indian boats gliding along its 
liquid streets, long lines of low houses mingled with great num- 
bers of pyramidal temples, lofty trees and flower-gardens floating, 
as it were, on the bosom of the. waters, and here and there a loftier 
temple sacred to the gods of the land. 

Though built on piles, the city of Mexico is celebrated for its 
magnificence. It is said by Humboldt " to be undoubtedly one 
of the finest cities ever built by Europeans in either hemisphere ; 
being inferior only to Petersburg, Berlin, London, and Philadel- 
phia, as respects the regularity and breadth of the streets, as well 
as the extent of its public places." The architecture is generally 
fine, and many of the buildings of noble construction, though usu- 
ally of a somewhat plain exterior. Two sorts of hewn stone, 
porous amygdaloid and porphyry, are generally used in the better 
parts of the city. The balustrades and gates are of Biscay iron, 
ornamented with bronze ; and the houses, which are three or four 
stories high, have flat terraced roofs, like those of Italy and other 
southern countries. The principal plaza, or square, is one of the 
finest to be seen in any metropolis. The Cathedral, the Palace, 
and the Mineria, are imposing structures. The interior of the 
Cathedral is quite gorgeous. The high altar is loaded with golden 
ornaments. It is inclosed by a massive railing of mixed metal, so 
valuable on account of the gold which it contains, that a silver- 
smith of Mexico is alleged to have offered the bishop a new silver 
rail of equal weight in return for the old metal. 



MEXICO. 127 

In the interior of the Cathedral, also, are some curious remains 
of the olden time, including several idols, and "a stone of sacri- 
fice," on which lay the human victim when his breast was pierced, 
and his quivering heart torn out by the priest ! On the outer 
wall is fixed the KelUnda, a circular stone of basaltic porphyry, 
covered with hieroglyphic figures, by which the Aztecs, or native 
Mexicans, used to designate the months of the year, and which is 
supposed to have formed a sort of perpetual calendar. 

Bat the remains of ancient temples and other buildings are 
mostly gone, and few traces remain of the pride and splendor of 
the ancient Aztecs, who reared among the surrounding lakes a 
city of greater magnificence than that which their conquerors have 
built. 

On a summer evening, when the people are abroad, and the 
canals are covered with light canoes, filled with mestizoes hum- 
ming gay tunes, or striking their guitars, the rosy light of depart- 
ing day yet lingering upon the mountains, and tinging the snow- 
crowned summits of the Cordilleras, which encircle the valley, the 
city of Mexico presents a most attractive appearance, and suggests 
to the thoughtful traveler the striking contrast between its past 
and present condition. As he listens to the hum of the cheerful 
population, mingled with the sound of evening bells from Chris- 
tian temples, calling men, not, as the Aztec drum did, to human 
sacrifices, but to sacred vespers, he cannot but feel grateful that 
the ancient form of Mexican society has passed away forever. 
Imperfect as the present religion of Mexico is, certainly it is far 
better than the bloody rites of heathenism. 

The population of the city of Mexico is about 150,000, of an 
exceedingly mixed character, comprising about 68,000 Creoles, 
or descendants of Spaniards ; 28,000 mestizoes, or half-breeds be- 
tween Europeans and Indians, though many of them are scarcely 
distinguishable in color from the former; about 35,000 copper- 
colored natives ; 10,000 mulattoes ; and only about 6000 Euro- 
peans. A few of the citizens, among whom are the nobles and 
speculators in mines, are excessively rich, but the mass of the 
population are indolent and poor. The lower orders, resembling 
the lazaroni of Naples, are filthy, despise labor of every kind, and 
may be seen constantly lounging or lying about the churches or 
markets, leaning against the walls, or loitering near the theaters 
and coffee-houses. Indeed, the leperos of Mexico are worse than 
the lazaroni of Naples, being frequently stained with the crimes 
of robbery and assassination. The dress and habits of the higher 
orders resemble those of Europeans. The large cloak of Spain is 
universally worn. The costume of the ladies is uniformly black, 



128 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



with the vail and mantilla ; but on holydays and public occasions 
their dress is distinguished for variety and gayety of colors, as well 
as expensiveness of material. " Indeed, when in their carriages, 
in the Passeo, they contrast somewhat strangely with the same 
persons, when seen at home in complete dishabille, without stock- 
ings, squatting on the floor, and either pursuing their favorite 
amusement of cigar-smoking (for Mexican ladies are much ad- 
dicted to smoking), or eating cakes and capsicum out of the dirty 
earthenware of the country. The ladies seldom go out during 
the day ; but after sunset, young and old come forth from their 
hiding-places, and the Alameda, Passeos, and Portales swarm 
with the damas and senoritas of the city, chatting and smoking 
with their gallants. Many gentlemen belonging to the higher 
classes are intelligent, and a few even fond of literature ; but the 
city is so badly supplied with libraries, and other means of study, 
as to give little encouragement to such pursuits. There are three 
or four newspapers ; but they are miserable productions, contain- 
ing little besides the merest chit-chat, copiously interspersed with 
advertisements." 




Mexican Gentlemen. 



With respect to the country in general, we may add, that the 
scenery of Mexico is bold and beautiful. Its productions are of 



MEXICO. 129 

all climates, temperate and torrid. Indeed, there is no sort of 
plant or tree which may not be raised in this fertile country. Its 
commerce is limited, its agriculture far inferior to that of Europe. 
The people are not enterprising, like those of New England and 
other northern regions. Education makes no progress among 
them. The country has immense resources, not only in agricul- 
ture, but in mines of gold and silver, but the people are languid, 
sensual, and pleasure-loving. Some of them are wealthy, but 
most are poor. This is the case especially with the Indian popu- 
lation. They have little or nothing in religion, politics, or even 
in the common wants of life, to stimulate them. They are con- 
tent simply to live — to vegetate, and then to die. Good Cath- 
olics, they feel safe and easy for time or for eternity, no matter 
how ignorant and sensual, how besotted or vicious. " Mexico," 
says Chevalier, " is a country so rich, that famine scarcely visits 
the most indolent, In the tierras calientas, and even on the pla- 
teaus, the natives are content to dwell, with their families, in a 
cabin of bamboo trellis-work, so slight as scarcely to hide them 
from the stranger's gaze, and to sleep either on mere mats, or at 
best on beds made of leaves and brushwood. Their dress consists 
simply of a pair of drawers, or petticoat, and a serape (or dyed 
woolen garment), which serves for a cloak by day and a counter- 
pane by night. Each has his horse, a sorry beast, which feeds at 
large in the open country ; and a whole family of Indians is amply 
supplied Avith food by bananas, chilli, and maize, raised almost 
without labor, in a small inclosure round the hut. Labor, indeed, 
occupies but a trifling portion of the Indian's time, which is chiefly 
spent in drinking pulque, sleep, or singing to his wretched man- 
dolin hymns in honor of Notre Dame de Guadeloupe, and occa- 
sionally carrying votive chaplets to deck the altar of his village 
church. Thus he passes his life in dreamy indifference, and ut- 
terly careless of the ever-reviving emeutes by which the peace of 
Mexico is disturbed. The assassinations and robberies which the 
almost impotent government allows to be committed with impu- 
nity on the public roads, and even in sight of the capital, are to 
him only matter for conversation, the theme of a tale or ditty. 
And why should he trouble himself about it ? Having nothing 
in the world but the dress in which he stands, his lance, spurs, and 
guitar, he has no fear of thieves ; nor will the poniard of the assas- 
sin touch him, if he himself, drunk with pulque or chingarito, do 
not use his own." The condition of the half-breeds, and even of 
the lower orders of Spanish descendants, is not much superior to 
that of the Indian. Thousands of them live precisely as he does, 
and thousands more by begging or stealing. Some, indeed, are 



130 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



farmers, and live upon their comfortable haciendas, and others 
rise somewhat in the world, and have a deeper interest in the or- 
der and peace of the community ; but all, more or less, have 
caught the Indian traits, and are more distinguished for their in- 
dolence and love of pleasure than their enterprise and virtue. 

In the larger cities, the prevalent amusements are the theater, 
bull-fights, horse-races, dancing, and gambling. 

The entire population numbers from six to seven millions, partly 
Spanish, but mostly Indian ; not, indeed, pure Indian, but mixed. 
Perhaps the predominant element is Spanish and European ; but the 
Indian is wonderfully diffused, as may be seen in the bronze color, 
long black hair, deficient beard, and oblique eyes of the people. 
The pure Indians number at least two-fifths of the entire popu- 
lation. The Mexicans of European extraction — the Creoles, as 
they are called — may be said to govern the country. They are 
the nobles, merchants, and miners of Mexico ; and while inferior 
to the inhabitants of England and the United States, and even of 
Spain, their mother- country, are. certainly far superior to the In- 
dians. Many of them are quite intelligent and polished, having 
enjoyed all the advantages of a European education. 

The government is professedly republican, but is insecure and 
despotic. The laws are said to be just and mild, but wretchedly 
administered. Indeed, Mexico is not unfrequently in a state of 
absolute anarchy. Robberies and assassinations are common as 
day. " With tranquillity," says the intelligent Chevalier, " every 
thing else is also lost. There is no longer any security. It is a 
mere chance if the diligence from Mexico to Vera Cruz proceed 
the whole way without being stopped and robbed. It requires 
whole regiments to convey the conducta of piasters to Vera Cruz. 
Travelers who cannot afford to pay for an escort, go armed from 
head to foot, and in little caravans. Here and there rude crosses, 
erected by the sides of the roads, and surrounded by heaps of 
stones, thrown by passers-by, in token of compassion, point out 
the spot where some wayfarer, and almost always a stranger, has 
perished by the hand of robbery." 

All education, such as it is, is in the hands of the priesthood, 
who make certain of its being kept within safe limits. The re- 
ligion of the country is universally Catholic. Many of the churches 
are magnificent, literally blazing with gold and jewels. In the 
city of Mexico, the services of religion are celebrated with great 
pomp ; but the people, and even the priests, are ignorant, sensual, 
and superstitious. So say all travelers. The mass' and the bull- 
fight have equal charms. Among such a people, of course, with 
much latitude of manners, there will often be great severity of re- 



MEXICO. 131 

ligious discipline. The following is a description by Madame de 

la B -, lady of the Spanish Minister to Mexico, who wrote two 

volumes on Mexico a few years ago, of a singular flagellating 
penance, which often takes place in their churches ; — " To-day we 
attended the morning penitence, at six o'clock, in the church of 
San Francisco, the hardest part of which was their having to 
kneel, for about ten minutes, with their arms extended in the 
form of a cross, uttering groans — a most painful position, for any 
length of time. But the other night I was present at a much 
stranger scene, at the discipline performed by the men ; admission 
having been procured for us by certain means, private, but powerful. 
According^, when it was dark, enveloped from head to foot in 
large cloaks, and without the slightest idea of what it was, we 
went on foot through the streets to St. Augustin. When we ar- 
rived, a small side-door apparently opened of itself, and we en- 
tered, passing through long vaulted passages, and up steep wind- 
ing stairs, till we found ourselves in a small vailed gallery, looking 
down directly upon the church. The scene was curious. About 
one hundred and fifty men, enveloped in cloaks and serapes, their 
faces entirely concealed, were assembled in the body of the 
church. A monk had just mounted the pulpit, and the church 
was dimly lighted, except where he stood in bold relief, with his 
gray robes and cowl thrown back, giving a full view of his high, 
bald forehead and expressive face. His discourse was a rude, but 
very forcible and eloquent, description of the torments prepared 
in hell for impenitent sinners. The effect of the whole was very 
solemn. It appeared like a preparation for the execution of a 
multitude of condemned criminals. When the discourse was fin- 
ished, they all joined in prayer with much fervor and enthusiasm, 
beating their breasts, and falling -upon their faces. Then the monk 
stood up, and, in a very distinct voice, read several passages of 
Scripture descriptive of the sufferings of Christ. The organ then 
struck up the Miserere, and all of a sudden the church was 
plunged in profound darkness ; all but a sculptured representation 
of the Crucifixion, which seemed to hang in the air illuminated. 
I felt rather frightened, and would have been very glad to leave 
the church, but it would have been impossible, in the darkness. 
Suddenly, a terrible voice in the dark cried — ' My brothers ! when 
Christ was fastened to the pillar by the Jews, he was scourged /' 
At these words, the bright figure disappeared, and the darkness 
became total. Suddenly we heard the sound of hundreds of 
scourges descending upon the bare flesh. I cannot conceive any 
thing more horrible. Before ten minutes had passed, the sound 
became splashing, from the blood that was flowing. 



132 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



" I have heard of these penitences (penances) in Italian churches, 
and also that half of those win go there do not really scourge 
themselves ; but here, where there is such perfect concealment, 
there seems no motive for deception. Incredible as it may seem, 
this awful penance continued, without intermission, for half an 
hour ! If they scourged each other, their energy might be less 
astonishing. 

" We could not leave the church, but it was perfectly sicken- 
ing ; and had I not been able to take hold of Senora 's hand, 

and feel something human beside me, I could have fancied myself 
transported into a congregation of evil spirits. Now and then, 
but very seldom, a suppressed groan was heard, and occasionally 
the voice of the monk encouraging them by ejaculations, or by 
short passages from Scripture. Sometimes the organ struck up, 
and the poor wretches, in a faint voice, tried to join in the Mise- 
rere. The sound of the scouro-insf is indescribable. At the end of 
half an hour, a little bell was rung, and the voice of the monk 
was heard calling upon them to desist ; but such was their enthu- 
siasm, that the horrible lashing continued louder and fiercer than 
ever. In vain he entreated them not to kill themselves, and as- 
sured them that Heaven would be satisfied, and that human nature 
could not endure beyond a certain point. No answer but the loud 
sound of the scourges, which are many of them of iron, with sharp 
points that enter the flesh. At length, as if they were perfectly 
exhausted, the sound grew fainter, and, little by little, ceased alto- 
gether. We then got up in the dark, and, with great difficulty, 
groped our way, in the pitch darkness, through the galleries, and 
down the stairs, till we reached the door, and had the pleasure of 
seeing the fresh air again. They say that the church floor is fre- 
quently covered with blood after one of these penances, and that 
a man died the other day in consequence of his wounds."* 

This method of " satisfying" the Deity is rather heathenish, and 
reminds us of the more terrible sacrifices of the ancient Aztecs to 
satisfy their bloody god ; but we believe that it is in accordance 
with Mexican and Spanish, and even Italian, orthodoxy. It re- 
minds us of the answer made by a tolerably intelligent Spaniard 
to the question, What do you understand by penitence ? when, 
suiting the action to the word, as if he were scourging himself, he 
said in broken English, " Whip um ! whip um !" Perhaps it* may 
be a good plan for these wretched Mexicans to whip the demon 
of evil out of their skins ; but how such inflictions are pleasing to 
the Deity, it would be difficult to say. 

* " Mexico as It Is " vol. i. 



MEXICO. 133 

But the Mexican has his pleasures to put over against his pen- 
ances. Among these, one of his favorites is the bull-fight, a de- 
scription of which we will give, from the authority just quoted : — ■ 
" Fancy an immense amphitheater, with four great tiers of boxes, 
and a range of uncovered seats in front, the whole crowded almost 
to suffocation ; the boxes filled with ladies in full dress, and the 
seats below by gayly dressed and most enthusiastic spectators ; 
two military bands of music, playing beautiful airs from the 
operas ; an extraordinary variety of brilliant costumes, all lighted 
up by the eternally blue sky ; ladies and peasants, and officers in 
full uniform, and you may conceive that it must have been alto- 
gether a varied and curious spectacle.* Bernardo's (the chief ma- 
tador) dress, of blue and silver, was very superb, and cost him 
five hundred dollars. The signal was given, the gates Avere 
thrown open, and a bull sprang into the arena ; not a great, fierce- 
looking animal, as they are in Spain, but a small, angry, wild- 
looking beast, with a troubled eye. 

" ' Thrice sounds the clarion ; lo, the signal falls, 

The den expands, and expectation mute 
Gapes round the silent circle's peopled walls. 

Bounds with one lashing spring the mighty brute, 
And wildly staring, spurns, with sounding foot, 

The sand, nor blindly rushes on his foe ; 
Here, there, he points his thundering front, to suit 

His first attack, wide waving to and fro 

His angry tail, red rolls his eye's dilated glow.' 

" A picture equally correct and poetical. That first pose of the 
bull is superb ! Pasta, in her Medea, did not surpass it. Mean- 
while the matadors and the banderilleros shook their colored 
scarfs at him — the picadors poked at him with their lances. He 
rushed at the first and tossed up the scarfs which they threw at 
him, while they sprung over the arena ; galloped after the others, 
sticking the horses so that, along with their riders, they occasion- 
ally rolled in the dust, both, however, almost instantly recovering 
their equilibrium, in which there is no time to be lost. Then the 
matadors would throw fire- works, crackers adorned with streaming 
ribbons, which stuck on his horns, and, as he tossed his head, en- 
veloped him in a blaze of fire. Occasionally the picador would 
catch hold of the bull's tail, and passing it under his own right 
leg, wheel his horse round, force the bull to gallop backward, and 
throw him on his face. 

" Maddened with pain, streaming with blood, stuck full of darts, 

* The occasion was a special one. 



134 THE WORLD WE LIVE IIST. 



and covered with fire-works, the unfortunate beast went galloping 
round and round, plunging blindly at man and horse, and fre- 
quently trying to leap the barrier, but driven back by the waving 
hats and shouting of the crowd. At last, as he stood at bay, the 
matador ran up and gave him the mortal blow, considered a pe- 
culiar proof of skill. The bull stopped, as if he felt that his hour 
were come, staggered, made a few plunges at nothing, and fell. 
A finishing stroke, and the bull expired. 

" The trumpets sounded, the music played. Four horses gal- 
loped in, tied to a yoke, to which the bull was fastened, and 
swiftly dragged out of the arena. In a similar manner eight bulls 
were done to death. The scene is altogether fine, the address 
amusing ; but the wounding and tormenting of the bull is sicken- 
ing, and as here the tips of his horns are blunted, one has more 
sympathy with him than with his human adversaries. It cannot 
be good to accustom a people to such bloody sights. 

" Yet let me confess, that though at first I covered my face 
and could not look, little by little I grew so much interested in 
the scene that I could not take my eyes off it, and I can easily un- 
derstand the pleasure taken in these barbarous diversions by those 
accustomed to them from childhood."* 



CHAPTER XI. 

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 

South of Mexico, between the Mexican Gulf and the Caribbean 
Sea on the one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other, stretches a 
long and unequally shaped strip of country toward South Ameri- 
ca, forming a sort of natural link, or isthmus, between the two 
great divisions of the American Continent, usually styled Central 
America. Lying under the tropics, and containing a great variety 
of soil, with vast mountain ranges (a continuation of the Cordil- 
leras) and deep valleys, its productions are rich and diversified. 
The heat, of course, is intense, yet cooled in many places by the 
fresh mountain breezes, and the streams which descend from the 
regions of snow. The lofty mountain-peaks are volcanic, several 

* "Mexico as It Is," Vol. i. pp. 120, 121. 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 135 



of them now in active operation, roaring and blazing amid the 
snows which encircle their summits. It is a region, however, of 
tropical storms and earthquakes, and inhabited by a people similar 
to those of Mexico, with, perhaps, a greater proportion of Indians. 
This also is the locality of those ruins (particularly in Yucatan) 
which attest the ingenuity, power, and even splendor of the more 
ancient races long passed away. These have been admirably de- 
scribed by Stephens and others, and are objects of intense and 
curious interest to the learned. 

The Republic of Guatimala, or Central America, contains the 
States of Guatimala, San Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa 
Rica, and the Federal District, with a population of about 
2,000,000. The people are said to be hospitable, friendly, and 
pleasure-loving. Like the Mexicans, they are addicted to cock- 
fighting, bull-fighting, gambling, dancing, and so forth. They are 
also excessively fond of religious processions, and other striking 
ceremonies of the Church, which they seem to regard much in the 
light of amusements, and from which at least they pass freely 
to the most giddy diversions. Perhaps it may be regarded 
as singular that all the monkish establishments have been sup- 
pressed. This indicates the prevalence among them of some liberal 
and reformatory movements. Most of the cities, among which are 
Guatimala, Leon, and San Salvador, have occasionally suffered 
from earthquakes. In Guatimala, the services of religion are cel- 
ebrated with great pomp and ceremony half the Sunday, while the 
other half is devoted to feasting and frolicking. The morals of 
the people suffer in consequence. Education is much neglected. 
All classes are fond of showy dresses and exciting pleasures. 

The productions of the country are indigo, logwood, and other 
dyes, mahogany, cedar, gold, silver, and precious stones. Mer- 
cury is also found here, as also copper, iron, nickel, zinc, antimony, 
and so forth. In the lower grounds, cotton, sugar, tobacco, and 
cocoa are freely grown. Various kinds of tropical fruits are raised 
in abundance. The wild animals comprise the American tiger 
(or jaguar), wolf, tapir, mountain cow, wild goat, striped boar, &c. 
Immense flocks of sheep and herds of cattle are reared in the La- 
denos, or table-lands, of Quesaltenango. The horses are inferior 
to the mules, which are mostly used. The trade and commerce 
of this part of the world is mostly in the hands of foreigners, es- 
pecially Americans and English, and carried on chiefly through 
Balize, or Honduras, which belongs to the British. A new chan- 
nel is opened for trade with the United States through the acces- 
sion of New Mexico and California, and the recent arrangements 
touching a ship canal, connecting, by means of the Lake Nica- 



136 



THE WOULD WE LIVE EST. 



ragua, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This lake, the largest in 
Central America, lies principally between the eleventh and twelfth 
degrees of north latitude, about twelve miles, in a direct line, from 
the Pacific, and ninety from the Caribbean Sea. It is of an oval 
shape, being some 130 miles long by 40 wide, discharging its sur- 
plus waters by the river San Juan into the Caribbean Sea, which 
is said to be navigable during the rains through its whole extent. 
It would seem, therefore, that the two oceans might easily be 
brought together by means of a ship canal, one of the most stu- 
pendous internal improvements of the age. 

Central America, in position, productions, and population, be- 
longs more to the South than to the North. We pass, therefore, 
into the more southern regions of the continent. 




South American Costumes. 



The most striking things in the external aspect of South 
America, which is somewhat less than North America, though 
more compact, and in outline somewhat resembling Africa, are its 
vast mountain ranges, its magnificent rivers, its immense forests 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 137 

and plains, or llanos, with their singularly diversified forms of 
vegetable and animal life. It has three distinct systems of mount- 
ains. The first are the Andes, the "longest and loftiest," coming 
down from the north and running through the whole extent of 
the continent, branching off here and there on the one side and 
the other, forming the natural boundaries of the various countries, 
and inclosing long and wide-spread valleys, through which rush 
the streams fed from the hills. They he, however, chiefly on the 
Pacific side of the country, a distance of 150 miles, rising into 
lofty volcanic peaks at immense elevations, covered with eternal 
snow, while their sides, in almost all instances beautifully wooded, 
are covered in regular series with the various productions of tem- 
perate and tropical climes. The whole chain of these sky- piercing 
mountains is subject to violent volcanic action. From Cotopaxi to 
the Southern Ocean are no less than forty volcanoes in constant 
operation. Some of these mountains rise to the hight of fifteen, 
and even twenty and twenty-five thousand feet. Cotopaxi is 
19,000, Chimborazo 21,730, Illimani 24,250, and Sorata, the two 
last in Bolivia, 25,400 feet. 

The other mountain ranges are the Parima, consisting of several 
chains to the northeast, in the upper part of the continent, run- 
ning' through Venezuela and Guiana ; and the third, the. Brazilian, 
of considerably less elevation, the highest reaching only a little 
more than 6000 feet. 

The Andes divide the country, from lat. 9° N. to 52° S., into 
three extensive plains, open toward the Atlantic Ocean on the 
east, and on the west inclosed by a huge rampart of mountains. 
The most northern of these, watered by the Orinoco, which runs 
in an easterly direction and falls into the Atlantic, consists of llanos, 
or level tracts, covered with reedy plants and a few straggling 
palms. To the south is the vast wood-covered plain of the Ama- 
zon, with mighty forests of tropical growth, beyond which is the 
far-reaching flat of the pampas, covered with coarse herbage, and 
thronged with innumerable herds of cattle. The three principal 
rivers of the country are the Orinoco, the Amazon, and the La 
Plata, flowing through the broad slope of the Atlantic and emp- 
tying into the ocean at different points, so as to traverse the whole 
country. They are ' more like inland seas or lakes than rivers 
proper, expending their treasures upon the countries through 
which they pass, and bringing but a small tribute to the ocean. 
The entire course of the Amazon, which looks more like a system, 
or tree of rivers, than a single river, is estimated at 4700 miles, 
and is navigable from the sea to the east foot of the Andes, a 
distance of 2000 miles. The Orinoco has a course of about 1800 



138 THE WORLD WE LIVE IiST. 



miles, and the La Plata, which runs south, with a slight inclination 
to the east, 2500 miles. 

Within these vast regions the climate and productions are infi- 
nitely diversified. This is owing not simply to difference of lati- 
tude, but to difference of elevation, and the presence, first, of lofty 
mountain ranges, and then of deep valleys, and long-extended 
plateaus. Some of the plains are found at an elevation of from 
6000 to 10,000 feet above the level of the sea! Thus the plain 
of Quito, immediately under the equator, where the heat ought to 
be intense, has an elevation of above 9600 feet, and its mean tem- 
perature does not exceed 53° Fahr. These different climates, fre- 
quently in close proximity, have different vegetable and animal 
productions. Hence the traveler journeying down the deep de- 
scent of one of the magnificent ravines, through forests of birches, 
oaks, and pines, finds himself suddenly among Oriental palms. He 
sees wolves of northern aspect dwelling in the vicinity of monkeys ; 
humming-birds returning periodically from the borders of the fro- 
zen zone, with the northern bunting and soft-feathered titmice, to 
nestle with parrots ; and our common European whistling ducks 
and teal, swimming in lakes which swarm with sirens and Brazil- 
ian parrots and boatbills.* " In the Andes," says Humboldt in 
his Cosmos, Vol. I. pp. 11, 12, "of Cundinamarca, of Quito, and 
of Peru, furrowed by deep barrancas, it is permitted to man to 
contemplate all the families of plants and all the stars of the fir- 
mament. There, at a single glance, the beholder sees lofty feath- 
ered palms, humid forests of bamboos, and all the beautiful family 
of the Musaceae ; and, above these tropic forms, oaks, medlars, 
wild roses, and umbelliferous plants, as in our European homes ; 
there, too, both the celestial hemispheres are open to his view, 
and when night arrives, he sees displayed together the constella- 
tion of the Southern Cross, the Magellanic clouds, and the guid- 
ing-stars of the Bear which circle round the Arctic pole. There 
the different climates of the earth, and the vegetable forms of 
which they determine the succession, are placed one over another, 
stage above, stage, and the laws of the decrement of heat are in- 
delibly written on the rocky walls and the rapid slopes of the 
Cordilleras, in characters easily legible to the intelligent observer. 
* * * * In the burning plains which rise but little 
above the level of the sea, reign the families of the bananas, of 
cycadeae, and of palms, of which the number of species included in 
our floras of the tropical regions has been so wonderfully aug- 

* " Richardson's Zoology of North America," in the Sixth Report of the 
British Association. 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 139 



merited in our days by the labors of botanic travelers. To these 
succeed, on the slopes of the Cordilleras, in mountain valleys, and 
in humid and shaded clefts of the rocks, tree ferns, raising their 
thick cylindrical stems, and expanding their delicate foliage, whose 
lace-like indentations are seen against the deep azure of the sky. 
There, too, flourishes the cinchona, whose fever-healing bark is 
deemed the more salutary the more often the trees are bathed and 
refreshed by the light mists which form the upper surface of the 
lowest stratum of the clouds. Immediately above the regions of 
forests the ground is covered with white bands of flowering social 
plants, small Aralias, Thibaudias, and myrtle-leaved Andromedas. 
The Alp rose of the Andes, the magnificent Belfaria, forms a pur- 
ple girdle round the spiry peaks. On reaching the cold and 
stormy regions of the Paramos, shrubs and herbaceous plants, 
bearing large and richly colored blossoms, gradually disappear, 
and are succeeded by a uniform mantle of monocotyledonous 
plants. This is the grassy zone, where vast savannas (on which 
graze lamas, and cattle descended from those of the Old World) 
clothe the high table-lands and the wide slopes of the Cordilleras, 
whence they reflect afar a yellow hue. Trachytic rocks, which 
pierce the turf, and rise high into those strata of the atmosphere 
which are supposed to contain a smaller quantity of carbonic acid, 
support only plants of inferior organization, lichens, lecideas, and 
the many-colored dust of the leprairia, forming small round patches 
on the surface of the stone. Scattered islets of fresh-fallen snow 
arrest the last feeble traces of vegetation, and are succeeded by 
the region of perpetual snow, of which the lower limit is distinctly 
marked, and undergoes extremely little change. The elastic sub- 
terranean forces strive, for the most part in vain, to break through 
the snow-clad domes which crown the ridges of the Cordilleras ; 
but even where these forces have actually opened a permanent 
channel of communication with the outer air, either through crev- 
ices or circular craters, they rarely send forth currents of lava, 
more often erupting ignited scoriae, jets of carbonic acid gas and 
sulphuretted hydrogen, and hot steam." 

This is the region of earthquakes, often terrible and devastating, 
shaking the whole continent, and causing the huge mountains to 
tremble to their foundations, drying up rivers, and casting to the 
ground temple and tower, village and city. It is the region also 
of deadly malaria and violent tornadoes ; and, we may add, of 
social changes and revolutions. 

The population is similar to that of Mexico and Central America, 
being derived from much the same stock, with some slight excep- 
tions, and educated in much the same manner. This especially 



140 THE WORLD WE LIVE LIST. 



holds true of the more northern States and Republics, where the 
Spanish and Indian elements give the predominant features of the 
inhabitants. Of the same faith, with the same traditions and 
usages, and subjected generally to much the same influences, they 
occupy about the same level of character, moral, social, and polit- 
ical. The Republics of South America are scarcely worthy of 
the name. They are maintained only by force, and thus far have 
bred nothing better than tyrants and usurpers. The bayonet 
rather than the ballot-box is the great ruling power in them all. 
Nor can we hope for any thing better so long as the people are 
governed by a superstitious priesthood, and kept back from free 
inquiry and universal education. The native Indians are no better, 
if, indeed, as good, as their forefathers, and, under the present 
political and religious regimen, seem incapable of rising higher in 
the scale of civilization. Doubtless there are exceptions, but this 
is true of the great mass of the aboriginal inhabitants. Many of 
them, especially toward the south, are wild and savage. 

But it is time we set off on an exploring expedition to some 
of the States and communities into which South America is 
divided. 

Crossing the rocky boundaries of Central America, we descend 
into the beautiful and diversified regions of New Granada, which 
consists chiefly of elevated plateaus bounded by lofty mountains, 
and lies on the head-waters of the Orinoco, with a population of 
something less than 2,000,000, and containing rich mines and 
washings of silver and gold, as well as mines of emeralds and other 
precious stones. The government is republican, and Bogota is 
the capital, the cathedral of which contains an image of the Virgin, 
adorned with 1358 diamonds, 1295 emeralds, and other precious 
stones. 

From this, stretching all along the valley of the Orinoco to the 
Atlantic Ocean, we come to Venezuela, also a Republic, such as 
it is, with a sparse population, not much troubled with enlighten- 
ment, and addicted to political changes. The banks of the Ori- 
noco are covered with immense forests, resounding with the cries 
of the jaguar, the puma, and innumerable multitudes of monkeys. 
The huge boa hangs from the trees ; and the waters of the stream 
teem with alligators, porpoises, and manatees. The people live 
upon the plains, in the higher regions. The majority of the inhab- 
itants are Indians. Caracas, the capital, was seriously injured 
by an earthquake in 1812. 

South of New Granada, under the shadow of the Andes, with 
the snow-crowned peaks of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, and trav- 
ersed by the head-waters of the Amazon, is the Republic of 



CENTEAL AND SOUTH AMEKICA. 141 



Ecuador, or the Equator, with a population, climate, and produc- 
tions somewhat similar to those of New Granada. The climate is 
an eternal spring. Vegetation never ceases. The meadows and 
trees are covered with perpetual^ verdure. The plow and the 
sickle are in use together — buds, blossoms, and fruit are found on 
the same tree. One flower succeeds another. The colors of 
autumn, spring, -and summer are blended together, while in the 
distance the lofty peaks of the Andes are clothed with sparkling 
snow. This, however, is true only of the valley and table-land of 
the interior ; the other parts of the country, especially that lying 
along the coast, are filled with poisonous serpents, musketoes, 
ants, caymans, and deadly malaria. Quito, too, often trembles 
with earthquakes, and the whole land seems " founded" upon a 
fire-flood, into which at any time it may be precipitated. The 
population is about 650,000 souls. 

Quito, the capital, is a gay, luxurious place, with a population 
of 70,000, changeable and giddy. Earthquakes and revolutions 
are equally common. Masses and processions, carnivals and bull- 
fights, go hand in hand. 

But we pass to Peru, North and South, the fair and fertile 
regions of the ancient sun-worshipers, with their mild civilization 
and singular manners, traversed by lofty mountain peaks, with 
terraced beauties, rich in mines of gold and mercury, and in all 
the productions both of temperate and tropic zones, having a 
population, chiefly "Creoles, of 1,700,000. The ancient capital 
was Cuzco, surrounded by mountains ; the present is Lima, having 
a population of 80,000, mostly Creoles, though with many foreign- 
ers, English, Spanish, and American. It is a beautiful city, 
charmingly situated, with a serene atmosphere and magnificent 
views. It lies in a delightful valley, the Rimac, from 500 to 600 
feet above the level of the sea, not far from the Pacific, and con- 
tains considerable wealth. The buildings are low and substantial, 
on account of the earthquakes, to which it is much exposed, but 
not without grace and ornament. They are usually terraced, and 
have flat roofs. The cathedral is a building of considerable mag- 
nificence. The beauty of the landscape, the sweetness and serenity 
of the atmosphere, and the graceful appearance of the women, are 
much praised. " Would you see more of Lima?" says one writing 

to a friend in H . " Well, then, step out on to my balcony, 

and stand with me while we look upward into the cloudless blue 
heavens, whose transparency seems penetrable, almost to the re- 
vealing of the ' golden gates.' See those huge birds, lazily floating 
on their outstretched wings, anon wheeling in circles, then up and 
down, then right, then left, always slowly and gracefully, as though 



142 THE WORLD WE LIVE I1ST. 



moving in harmony with the music of the spheres. Alas ! that 
they should be only turkey- buzzards ! So let's leave them, and 
look straight across the street to the opposite balcony, and there 
you have a specimen of the Limanian style of beauty, in the per- 
son of a young senorita ; an heiress, too, for her father counts his 
millions. She has the beautiful hair peculiar to her countrywomen, 
which she wears in braids reaching half way to her feet. In other 
respects, her costume is the same as ours ; and oh ! while you 
look on her beauty, and welcome it ' as God's handwriting,' 
drink in also, as a charmed draught, a cup of blessing, new life, 
and health, and hope, from this glorious sunshine, this lovely sky, 
and these cool ocean-zephyrs, which, like all our Lord's mercies, 
are new every morning, and repeated every evening ; for though 
we are near the middle of summer, and under an almost vertical 
sun, the heat is, even at noonday, never oppressive. Our nights 
are cooled by winds from the far-off ice-mountains ; and so far, a 
blanket on the bed is. quite necessary to one's comfort." 

This is the pleasing side of the picture ; for what with earth- 
quakes, bull-fights, assassinations, and revolutions, Lima is not the 
most desirable place on earth. The changes there, political and 
moral, are often as sudden and startling as the tornado or the 
earthquake. Gayety and devotion, revelry and murder, succeed 
each other with fantastic rapidity. The following piquant account 
of one of these revolutions, and of a religious festival, we have 
just taken from one of our newspapers : 

" Lima, March 17th, 1850. 
* * * We are in the midst of a revolution ! This, although 
Sunday, is the day of election, and the parties of the rival candi- 
dates for the Presidency are in a terrible ferment ; and as merely 
depositing a vote quietly, as in our country, does not satisfy these 
turbulent spirits, they parade the streets, shouting ' Viva Echi- 
nique /' ' Viva Vicanco /' (the names of the rivals) and, when- 
ever the two parties meet, are ready for a fight, armed with 
stones, knives, clubs, &c. A mob of this sort have just attacked, 
and nearly demolished, a bakery in the block opposite the theater, 
the military not arriving until the destroyers were sated with their 
work of ruin. Unlike our mobs, they fear the militaiy, and on its 
approach take to flight. A guard of soldiers has been left to pro- 
tect the premises, and the mayor, with his troop of horse and foot, 
has gone to another street where the like scenes are enacting. 
Several have been already killed, and it appears to me that the 
officer in command, instead of parleying with the vagabonds, ought 
to sweep them down, as Bonaparte did the mobs of Paris. Speedy 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 143 



and deadly measures in such cases, I am convinced, are not only 
the most effectual, but the most merciful. 

* * * It is now half past 1 P. M., and the excitement is 
increasing. The Plaza is filled with troops, and the candidate who 
can command the strongest force will probably install himself in 
the palace as President. This is the usual method of procedure 
in Lima. Exciting times, these ! How unlike our peaceful Sab- 
bath at "home ! The great gates, opening into the porte-cochere, 
of the houses are to-day fast shut ; people look from their bal- 
conies with pale and anxious faces, fearing a renewal of the bloody 
scenes so often enacted in the streets of this beautiful city. 

* * % j£ i s now evening, and the streets are quiet, the 
rioters having been dispersed by the strong military force who are 
now patrolling in every quarter. The law is, that no election shall 
proceed while a military force are in the city — they must be at 
least two leagues distant ; and when the voting commenced this 
morning, the troops were in Callao, thus affording a fine oppor- 
tunity for the vagabonds of both parties, and the lawless of no 
party, to do each other to death, without fear of hinderance by the 
authorities, for they recognize no civil power. In the rencounters 
of this morning, twenty-eight were killed, and about forty wounded, 
including among the latter a general, who was shot in the arm 
with a pistol. The killed and wounded are generally the lowest 
orders of the people, ruffians in the fullest sense of the word. The 
strongest party, that of Echinique, say they shall go on with the 
election, in defiance of the law respecting the presence of the 
military ; and as the voting will continue through the week, we 
shall probably see something worth recording. I am not sure but 
that a high-handed, absolute monarchy would be better for such 
republicans. The Emperor of Russia, with his strong power, 
would have speedily settled this day's business, to my satisfaction 
at, least, had he been autocrat here. 

* * * Monday Evening, 18th. — I have just come in from 
a walk to the Plaza. The military have possession of the streets, 
and, on the slightest indication of a gathering of the populace, ride 
through them, dispersing them instanter. Despite their efforts, 
however, the people gather and hold together long enough to 
shout their ' vivas/ and fire off rockets, which we hear in every 
quarter, from time to time. The palace occupies one side of the 
Plaza, and, in common with all private residences, is occupied by 
stores on the first floor. These stores, and all others surround- 
ing the Plaza, and in the streets leading; to it, are now fast closed 
and barricaded. People, with anxious faces, stand talking in 
groups, and one would suppose the city was in a state of siege, or 



144 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



that some terrible calamity was hovering over it. No one dares 
to speak his mind aloud, lest he should be assassinated by some 
partisan of the opposing candidate. 

* * % Sunday, 2ith. — I have been waiting, day after day,' 
thinking I should have something stirring to tell you ' a la revolu- 
tion ;' but, since the outbreak on the first day of the election, all 
has been quiet, the populace being kept in check by the presence 
of the soldiery. To-day, while I write, the bells are ringing mer- 
rily, and rockets exploding by the hundreds, in proclaiming the 
election of Echinique, the candidate favored by the government, 
who, however, does not assume the duties of the office till one 
year from this time. The present President deserves much com- 
mendation for the energetic measures by which peace has been 
preserved — measures in opposition to the constitution, but of which 
he, like an illustrious predecessor in the Republican chair of State, 
says, ' I take the responsibility.' The wheels of government will 
now, I suppose, again roll on with their usual steadiness, which 
steadiness, by-the-way, is a fine practical illustration of what has 
been called the ' stability of change !' 

* ■* * March 29th. — It is now the closing week of Lent, 
called ' Semana Santa' (Holy Week), during which many gorgeous, 
and perhaps impressive, spectacles are produced by the church 
powers, of which silver plate, gold lace, silks, satins, and embroi- 
dered work, with cloth of gold and waving plumes, form an im- 
portant and conspicuous part. The first spectacle which we went 
to see was a procession, and, after forcing our way through a 
crowd made up of all classes, we took our station on one of the 
abutments of the bridge, over which the procession was to pass. 
Hundreds continued to press on and over the bridge to the church, 
where it was to stop, and it was not until dusk that the procession 
opened upon us. First came boys and men bearing lighted can- 
dles three feet high ; then three negroes in white robes, the center 
one bearing the holy banner, which is, in shape, like a barrel 
wrapped in cloth of gold, a deep gold fringe surrounding the bot- 
tom, and the top surmounted by a cross, while the other two car- 
ried candles wreathed with flowers. Following these was a pro- 
miscuous crowd of men, women, and children, with palm branches ; 
then women with vessels of burning incense ; then a platform 
about six feet square, borne on men's shoulders, covered with em- 
broidered satin, and hung around the edges with lace, gay ribbons, 
and flowers, the offerings of the pious ; while forming a railing 
around this platform were huge burning candles. In the center 
of it, a huge bunch of palms overshadowed an imitation (not very 
life-like) of an ass, upon which was seated an image of the 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 145 



Savior, covered with a glittering dress, with a gilt crown on his 
head, while, leaning from the palm-tree, in a very hazardous po- 
sition, and anxiously peering through its branches, stood Zaccheus, 
dressed in a scarlet coat, trimmed with gold lace. As this passed 
by, all uncovered their heads, repeated their prayers in a low 
voice, and crossed themselves. Next came about twenty priests 
in white robes, bearing palms, and chanting plaintively ; then 
another canopy, surrounded with lighted candles, under which 
was the Virgin Mary and another saint ; then followed a company 
of soldiers and a band of music, with the entire populace of Lima 
in their rear. In about an hour's time the bridge was clear, and 
we made our way home. 

" Our next sortie for sight-seeing was on the evening of ' Good 
Friday.' In the first church we entered, seated on the platform 
in front of the altar, were figures, of the size of life, representing 
our Lord washing the feet of the disciples, among whom Judas 
sat on the end of the bench, dressed in red (his hair and face in- 
clining to the same color), with the money-bag under his arm. 
Then there were the ' publicans and sinners' looking on, dressed 
in costumes ornamented with gold lace. In the next church was 
a ' dead Christ' on a bier, with the face and feet uncovered, around 
which pressed the multitude, each in turn kissing these exposed por- 
tions of the body. The bier was covered with a gorgeous white satin 
gold-embroidered pall, strewed with white Bowers, whose fra- 
grance, together with the incense burning in various parts of the 
house, was almost overpowering. At the head of the bier sat a 
priest, with a table before him, on which were laid the contribu- 
tions of the charitable. Passing on, we paused before the ' grand 
altar,' on the steps of which was arranged all the plate of the 
church, of great value, interspersed with pots of magnificent 
flowers in full bloom, and myriads of tall candles, occupying every 
possible spot among the pillars and images which reach from the 
altar to the high ceiling. In front of the steps was a representa- 
tion of the ' Last Supper.' The whole immense nave of the 
church was densely packed with kneeling ladies, all dressed in 
black, with black mantillas over their heads, from whose parted 
folds shone out, like stars from parting clouds, the brightly flashing 
eyes of many a youthful senorita. The sefiors always stand, or 
sit on some lew benches arranged along the borders of this female 
parterre. 

" We went to two other churches, in all of which there were 
similar ceremonies ; and to the cathedral, in which there was a 
grand illumination. 

"April 1st. — 'Easter Sunday' came yesterday, but I did not 

7 



146 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



go out. The day began as our Fourth of July does, by the ring- 
ing of bells and firing of rockets, and these continued throughout 
the day. The streets swarmed with people in gay attire, all 
wearing flowers. A 'bull-fight' took place as usual, and the 
theater was crowded ; and thus you have the ' Holy Week' at 
Lima." 

To this we add the following description, by Mr. Colton, of a 
bull-fight in Lima, which, it appears, took place, like the election 
and revolution, on the Sabbath. As they say in Scotland, " the 
better day, the better deed." 

" On the Sabbath which succeeded Holy Week I went to the 
cathedral to attend worship, and found it closed ; continued on to 
the church of San Pedro, and found that closed ; turned off to 
the church of San Augustin, and found that also closed. Observ- 
ing the streets full of people, who were moving toward the broad 
bridge which crosses the Rimac, I concluded that there must be 
some great religious festival in that quarter, and followed on. 

" The crowds continued to move over the Rimac, but instead of 
entering any church, wound off, in solid column, through the rows 
of trees which shade its left bank. I at last inquired of an intelli- 
gent-looking man who was walking at my elbow, to what sacred 
spot they were bound. When, with a look of half- wonder at my 
ignorance, he replied, ' To the corrida de tows /' — the bull-fight ! 
I turned on my heel and threaded my way back, with some diffi- 
culty, through the crowds who were pressing onward to the sav- 
age spectacle. Among them were groups of children from the 
schools — boys in gay frocks, and girls in white, with wreaths of 
flowers around their sunny locks, headed by their teachers. Monks 
with their beads, mothers with their daughters ; infancy at the 
breast, and old age with one foot in the grave ; all chattering and 
laughing, and jostling and shouting, and pressing on to the bull- 
ring, on the Sabbath ! 

" Upon inquiry, I found that these bull-fights formerly took 
place on Monday, but that the Archbishop of Lima, to enable the 
laboring classes to attend them, had changed the day to the Sab- 
bath. They are a horrible spectacle at best, utterly revolting to 
every sentiment of refinement and humanity ; and the social and 
moral evils which they inflict would be sufficiently revolting were 
they confined to secular occasions, but they become doubly per- 
nicious when they involve such an outrage upon the sanctity of 
the Sabbath, under the sanction, too, of the highest ecclesiastical 
functionary in the State. 

" Bull-fights, as conducted here, involve very little peril and suf- 



CENTRAL AJSTD SOUTH AMERICA. 147 



fering except to the poor beast. His antagonists are pretty safe, 
or he would drive them out of the arena. It is an exhibition of 
craft and cowardice on one side, and courage and despair on the 
other. Of the two, the bull sustains much the nobler part, and 
would have much the larger share of my sympathy and respect. 
If men must fight for the amusement of their fellows, let them 
fight one another. If the death of one don't furnish sufficient ex- 
citement, then let the other be shot or hung, as the taste of the 
spectators shall suggest. But let them not catch a poor beast, 
torture him with fagots and fire, skulk themselves, and pick him 
to death with their long weapons, and then insult the intelligence 
of the community by calling the dastardly act an exhibition of 
chivalry and valor. 

"It is no wonder the ladies in Lima are deficient in delicacy 
and moral refinement, accustomed as they are, from their child- 
hood, to such savage spectacles. It is but justice, however, to 
say, that there are some mothers here who will not pennit their 
daughters to attend them ; nor will they allow them, for this or 
any other purpose, to disguise themselves in the saya y manto. 
There was one righteous man in Sodom, and there is more than 
one good mother even in Lima." 

The Indians of Peru are few and feeble. Discouraged and de- 
pressed, they find it difficult to maintain their national existence. 
Indeed, they may be said to have no national existence. Nomi- 
nally " Catholics," without much knowledge of Christianity, they 
look back with regret to the days of their ancient splendor, and 
venerate the memory of their Incas. The descendants of those 
ancient princes are now almost entirely extinct. One or two, it 
is said, yet linger amid the mountains of Peru. The following 
letters addressed to the late President of the United States, and 
communicated by him to the American Ethnological Society, with 
respect to " the last of the Incas," will be read with interest. The 
first is from Samuel G. Arnold, Esq., of Providence, a gentleman 
who, in the course of an extensive exploratory tour through South 
America, had paid a visit to Cuzco, the ancient capital of the 
Incas of Peru. 

" Peovidknce, May 1, 1849 
" To the President of the United States : 

" Sir : — In the course of an extensive tour through the interior 
of South America, during the past year, I visited Cuzco. That 
city, renowned as the capital of the Inca Empire, and the limit of 
the conquests of Pizarro, is among the most interesting places I 
have seen in any part of the world. The extreme difficulty of 







148 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



reaching it, owing to its distance from the coast, and the lofty 
chains of Andes intervening, appears to be the chief reason that 
this celebrated city is so little known to our countrymen. It 
abounds in stupendous monuments of art, attesting a civilization 
quite equal, if not superior, to that of the. Aztecs. But amid these 
remains of ancient days there exists a living relic of the past, some 
short notice of whom may throw light on the inclosed letter. The 
venerable Doctor Don Justo Sahaurauria, a canon of the Cathe- 
dral of Cuzco, and now more than ninety years of age, claims to 
be a lineal descendant in the seventh degree from Haana-Caipac, 
the last reigning Inca, and father of the ill-fated Atahualpa, burnt 
alive by the conquerors in the plaza of Caxamorca. The evidence 
of his claim appears to me to be conclusive ; so that in this man 
we see the last of the royal race of Incas, as no others of unmixed 
blood are known to exist. He is a man of learning, and quite dis- 
tinguished in the history of his country, having personally received 
the thanks of Bolivar, at the close of the War of Independence, 
for his services in the cause of liberty. A clerical friend took me 
to the old man's house. We found him reading Tasso in his gar- 
den, a secluded spot just under the walls of the great Temple of 
the Sun, where his ancestors, as high-priests of the sun and hered- 
itary lords of Peru, once officiated at the altar in the grand and 
imposing worship of ' The Children of the Sun.' He received us 
very affably, and showed me many matters of interest about his 
house. He conversed more intelligently than is usual with Peru- 
vians of the interior, concerning ' El grande Republica del Norte,' 
as they call the United States, and appeared much interested in 
the slight sketch of our political system which he requested me to 
give him. He had many questions to ask — who was President, 
and who would be the next President? He is a fine-looking man, 
with a physiognomy quite different from that of the Quicha In- 
dians (the race peopling this part of Peru), having a high fore- 
head, large regular features, and an intelligent eye. A paralytic 
stroke about two years ago deprived him of the power of writing, 
except early in the morning, when he can sign his name. His 
son acts as his amanuensis. He always affixes the word Inca to 
his name. The seal of the inclosed letter bears the arms granted 
by Charles V. to his family in 1544 — the original letters patent 
are carefully preserved in his library. I left Cuzco in June last. 
Some time afterward I received a letter from him, in which he 
asked a continuance of the correspondence, which I provided for 
through the U. S. Consul at Lima, although scarcely expecting to 
hear from the aged Inca again. On parting from him he had de- 
sired me to present his compliments, &c, to the President of the 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 149 



United States on my return home. This he repeated, with the 
usual additions of Spanish courtesy, in the letter I received from 
him at Lima. After my return to the United States I received a 
package of letters from the venerable Dr. S., "dated Cuzco, August 
16th, in which he desires me to deliver the inclosed letter: 'Y 
signified a esse grand hombre mis rendimdentos.' I should be 
pleased to receive an acknowledgment of the receipt of this, as I 
shall write to Cuzco in a few days, and wish to assure the old 
gentleman that his letter has reached its destination. 

" Trusting that the subject of this letter will be found of sufficient 
interest to atone for its length, I remain your excellency's most 
obedient servant, 

" Samuel G. Arnold. 

" Gen. Z. Taylor, President of United States." 

[translation.] 

" To the most Excellent President of the United States of North 
America : From the Capital of the Sovereign Incas of Cuzco, 
the 1 6th of August, 1848 : 

" The possessor of my profoundest Respect and Veneration : 

" A Peruvian prince, the seventh in descent from the Emperor 
Huaynaccapac, the most immediate branch of the sovereign Incas, 
places himself under the protection and auspices of your excel- 
lency, entreating that you will have the goodness to receive his 
homage. 

" When the Spaniards entered the Peruvian Empire, giving the 
name of conquest to a sanguinary devastation, they found in the 
principal temple of Cuzco various prophecies, and among them 
one that foretold the destruction of the empire, together with its 
rites and ceremonies ; and that this was to take place in the reign 
of the twelfth emperor. 

" When the Emperor Huaynaccapac was told by his vassals in 
Tumpis that there had appeared on the coast certain canoes like 
houses, the crews of which were composed of bearded men very 
different from themselves, he said that a tradition existed among 
the members of the royal family to the effect that there should 
come from beyond the sea an unknown people who would destroy 
the empire, its religion, rites, and ceremonies. This, he said fur- 
thermore, was to take place during the reign of the twelfth em- 
peror ; and, as he was the twelfth in succession, the prediction 
was, doubtless, about to be fulfilled, even as it is said in the proph- 
ecy, ' Inter alia vaticinia, quae de amissione Regni loquuntur.' 

" Moreover, the prediction inspired the Children of the Sun 
with the hope that the day would arrive in which they should be 



150 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



reinstated in their ancient splendor, by the aid of a people from a 
country called England ; and, in order that your excellency may 
be fully possessed of the whole prophecy, I here transcribe it as 
follows : 

" ' Et Deum ego testor, mihi a D. Antonio de Berreq affirmatum, 
quemadmodum etiam ab alijis cognovi, quod in prsecipuo ipsorum 
Templo inter alia vaticinia, quae de amissione Regni loquuntur, hoc 
enim sit, quo dicitur fore, ut Inc^s, sive Imperatores et Reges 
Peruvise, ab aliquo Populo, qui ex Regione quadam, quo [quae] 
Inglaterra vocetur, in Regnum suuni rursus introducantur.'* 

" As the prophecy does not expressly say whether they are to 
be Anglo-Europeans or Anglo-Americans, it appears to me that 
the Children of the Sun ought to follow their own inclinations. I, 
like others, am well convinced, and constantly hear of the great 
kindness with which all who are inclined to the grand Republic of 
North America have been welcomed by it. On these accounts, 
and because of the preference which I personally entertain, I place 
myself under the shelter of the Republic, and under that of your 
excellency, who will not disdain to receive an unfortunate prince 
like myself. 

" Praying the Almighty to preserve the health of your excel- 
lency during all the years that America may require it, and es- 
pecially the humble priest who kisses the hands of your ex- 
cellency, 

" I am, most excellent sir, 

" Dr. Justo Sahaurauria, Inca." 

We must not stay longer in Peru, but pass over into Bolivia, 
with its lofty mountain peaks — the loftiest, we believe, on the con- 
tinent of America, and, except two or three in the Himalayan 
Mountains, the loftiest in the world — its extensive and beautiful 
lake Titicaca, high up among the ranges of the Andes, several 
thousand feet above the level of the sea, and its rich mines of gold 
and silver. Among the latter is the famous Potosi, or La Rica, 
The Rich, as the natives call it. It was discovered in 1545 by a 
Peruvian named Hualpu, who, ascending the mountain with his 
flocks, grasped a bush, whose roots gave way, revealing the pres- 
ence of a rich mass of silver ore. For some time this shepherd 

* " I call God to witness that I was informed by Don Antonio de Berreo, 
even as I had learnt from others, that among the prophecies preserved in 
the principal Temple, which speak of the loss of the Kingdom, there is one 
which says that the Incas, or emperors and kings of« Pern, shall be restored 
to their Kingdom by a people who shall come from a certain country called 
Inglaterra (England) " 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 



151 



concealed the discovery from all his acquaintances, and resorted 
to the place only at intervals to supply his wants. But the ob- 
vious change in his fortune attracted the suspicions of the Indians, 
who, with difficulty, wrung from him his secret. In consequence 
of a quarrel with Hualpu, these Indians revealed it to his master. 
It was then formally registered and opened' since which time it 
has been worked with success. Its yield has been immense. The 
vein was found running through the entire mountain, the whole of 
which nearly has been excavated. Millions upon millions have 
been derived from this source. 

The inhabitants of Bolivia, estimated at something more than a 
million, resemble those of the neighboring States, to which we 
have already referred. They are said to be quite hospitable. The 
government is Republican, the religion Catholic. More than one- 
half of the inhabitants are said to be Indians, some of whom are 
wild and warlike in their habits. 

Stretching from Peru to Patagonia, between the mountains and 
the Pacific Ocean, is the long and narrow, but rich and fertile 




Throwing the Lasso/ 

Chili, with its evergreen foliage, medicinal gums, resplendent 
flowers, and precious ores. The population consists principally of 
Spaniards, mestizoes, and Indians, with some English, American, 
French, Irish, and negroes. There are some independent Indian 
communities, as the Aracaunians, possessed of considerable en- 
ergy of character. Earthquakes are common in Chili. Beggary, 
also, are somewhat numerous, and, it is said, actually often ride 
on horseback to solicit alms. But horses and other cattle are very 
numerous here, and are caught wild among the mountains, by 
means of the lasso, which the people practice with great dexterity. 



152 THE WORLD WE LIVE IIST. 



This, however, is not confined to Chili, but is common through 
South America. The lasso is a long line or thong with a noose, 
which a Chilian at full speed, on horseback, can throw over the 
horns, head, or legs of a wild animal, as a horse or bull, at full 
speed. Its use is practiced by the children in the case of dogs, 
cats, &c, from their earliest years. 

The lasso is sometimes used in war with considerable effect. 
There is a well-authenticated story of a party of eight or ten men, 
who had never seen a piece of artillery till one was fired at them 
in the town of Buenos Ayres. They galloped fearlessly up to it, 
placed their lassoes over the cannon, and, by their united strength, 
fairly overturned it. 

The government of Chili is Republican, but, as usual in South 
America, where education and religion are so poor, is in an un- 
settled, state. 

South of Bolivia, between Chili and the river La Plata, south of 
the Atlantic, lies the Argentine Republic, as it is sometimes called, 
more properly, Buenos Ayres, or provinces of La Plata, with its 
vast unwooded plains or pampas, 1200 miles in length and some 
500 in breadth, on which roam innumerable herds of wild oxen, 
horses, ostriches, thousands and thousands of which are annually 
taken by means of the lasso. In the upper part of the country, 
with woods and mountains, are many mines of gold and silver, as 
also several of gems, jasper, and emeralds. 

Buenos Ayres [good airs, from the salubrity of the climate), the 
capital, stands on the southwest side of the La Plata, the houses 
built of brick or chalk, with flat roofs, and innumerable gardens. 
The population of the city is 80,000, one-f6urth of whom only are 
whites, the rest being mixed breeds, Indians and negroes. 

The population of the whole State, which is Republican, falls 
short of a million, with many Indians, some of them independent. 
Slavery and gambling are prevalent. 

In the upper part of the continent, to the southwest, are small 
colonies of Dutch, French, and English, in the two former of 
which slavery prevails, and in the latter are many blacks. But 
these need not detain us. They are important chiefly for their 
commerce. 

Nor will Patagonia, on the extreme south, with its huge In- 
dians, rude manners, and Jesuit institutions, detain us from more 
interesting regions. 

Uruguay is a small State, lying between Buenos Ayres and 
Brazil. Paraguay, a little above, enjoys, or perhaps suffers, a 
singular dictatorship, under Doctor Francia, and has a tolerably 
thriving population of 20,000 whites, and 250,000 blacks. Inter- 



CENTEAL AND SOUTH AMEEICA. 



153 



dieted from commerce with foreigners, and shut in, by a rigid sys- 
tem of police, within its own boundaries, the nation is said to be 
contented and happy. All are taught to read and write, so 'tis 
said ; and though the tyrannic Doctor rules them with a rod of 
iron, he rules them well. 




View of Bio Janeiro. 



The last State which demands our attention is Brazil, the largest 
and most important of South America, occupying nearly one -third 
of the whole continent ; extending, on the one side, from Venezuela 
on the north, to Uruguay on the south ; and on the other, from 
Peru to the Atlantic Ocean, with an area of 3,000,000 square 
miles, a population of 5,000,000, and commanding nearly the 
whole of the river Amazon, the largest river in the world, with 
its 200 tributaries, and vast mouth, or rather mouths, of 175 miles 
in extent. The tide ascends perceptibly 600 miles from the sea, 
and the river is navigable for ships several times that distance. 

Brazil was settled from Portugal, though the descendants of the 



154 THE WORLD WE LIVE EN". 



Portuguese, who govern the country, are greatly exceeded in 
• number by Indians and mixed breeds. The government, now in- 
dependent of the mother-country, is imperial, with a tendency, it 
is said, to republicanism. The character of the people is Portu- 
guese, with a mixture of Indian. In some parts of the country 
are colonies of Irish, Swiss, and Germans. Some English may be 
found at Rio Janeiro, the capital, a city of 150,000 inhabitants, 
which stands on the west side of a bay close to the sea, and is a 
place of much opulence and splendor. Slavery is universal. A 
portion of the inhabitants are nobles, among whom are some dis- 
tinguished and wealthy agriculturists, ennobled by Don Pedro. 

Brazil, though only partially cultivated, is a country of ample 
resources, almost all the productions of tropical countries being 
found there, as also those of more temperate regions. It abounds 
in the precious metals and other minerals ; and not only so, but in 
precious stones and diamonds. The diamond mines are wrought by 
collecting the ferruginous earth, in which the diamonds are found, 
mixed with flints, and washing it. The former operation is gener- 
ally performed during the hot season, at a time when the beds and 
torrents of the rivers are dry, and the diamond sand can be easily 
collected. When the wet season arrives, the operation of washing- 
commences. It is performed in the open air, and frequently under 
sheds, where the action of the sun is least likely to injure the 
health of the negroes. At the bottom of the shed glides a small 
stream, which occupies one of its sides. Seats, raised, and with- 
out backs, are arranged along the shed in such a manner, that the 
subaltern officers are enabled to watch the negroes at work. One 
of these superintends eight negroes. Each negro works in a com- 
partment of the shed, separated from the others. The material 
to be examined is placed in troughs close to the stream, and the 
negroes are introduced entirely naked, excepting in time of ex- 
treme cold, when they are allowed a kind of waistcoat, but with- 
out either lining or pockets. They are supplied with a sort of 
hand-spike, by means of which they separate the earth from the 
flint ; and then taking the largest stones in their hands, they pro- 
ceed to 'search for the diamonds. Notwithstanding all the precau- 
tions taken, robberies of diamonds by the negroes frequently occur. 
When a negro discovers a diamond, having first shown it to the 
attendant officer, he deposits it in a large wooden vessel suspended 
in the center of the shed. If any negro is fortunate enough to 
discover a diamond weighing seventeen carats, he is bought by 
the government, and receives his liberty. The discovery of a stone 
of less weight also confers liberty, but with some restrictions. 
Various premiums are distributed, according to the value of a 



CE1STTEAL AND SOUTH AMEEICA. 155 



stone, even to a pinch of tobacco. But diamonds are frequently- 
stolen, and sold to smugglers at a low price. The negroes, how- 
ever, somewhat cunning, sometimes contrive to impose upon the 
contrabandists, by crystals, to which they give the appearance of 
rough diamonds. Some 20,000 negroes are employed in this 
business. 

Brazil abounds in forests, and in all kinds of beautiful and use- 
ful trees. Cotton is also cultivated. The forests and rivers are 
filled with wild animals, serpents, tigers, monkeys, crocodiles, and 
caymans. The domestic animals, such as the horse and ox, are 
very numerous ; and though much of the country is uninhabited, 
being occupied by vast forests and untrodden marshes, their agri- 
cultural productions are quite considerable. Great masses of hides, 
tallow, horns, and beef are exported to other countries. They also 
export coffee, sugar, and cotton. 

In education, literature, the fine arts, and especially religion, 
which is Catholic, the Brazilians rise no lusher than their neio-h- 
bors of South America generally. Perhaps they are inferior to 
some of them. The first printing-press in the country was intro- 
duced in 1808! Gross ignorance prevails among the common 
people. Many of the rich nabobs, or sugar- planters, know little 
more than their negroes. A few are educated, and all, it is said, 
are somewhat remarkable for their pompous vanity. The Indians 
are partly civilized, and partly savage. Their condition, in most 
instances, is depressed. Distinctions of color scarcely exist. All 
intermarry. The mulattoes are among the most energetic people 
of the country. Fitted to the climate, they gain in wealth and 
influence. The progress of Brazil, in wealth and population, has 
been slow ; but of late years, the infusion of new elements, by 
means of foreigners, and the change in its political institutions, has 
given it a powerful impulse in the right direction. It will, how- 
ever, take a long time to rise superior to the combined influence 
of ignorance, slavery, and superstition. As an instance of their 
superstition, Dr. WaJsh informs us that, at Rio, they claim to have 
the descendant of the cock which crowed when Peter denied his 
Master. Dr. W. was favored with a sight of him, and describes 
him as an ungainly bird of great size, and with a sort of a croak 
in his crowing that was quite monitory. 

The negroes, it is said, are treated, in some cases, with indis- 
criminate kindness ; in others, with fearful severity. Every day, 
says Walsh, negroes are sacrificed ; not so much as delinquents 
punished for offenses, as victims offered up to the revenge or 
malice of their masters. They are often whipped to death. 
Sometimes they commit suicide, to avoid what they deem a more 



156 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



terrible doom. " They have a method of burying their tongue in 
their throat, in such a way as to produce suffocation. A friend 
of mine was passing through the Carioca, when a slave was tied 
up and flogged. After a few lashes, he hung his head apparently 
lifeless, and when taken down, he was actually dead, and his 
tongue found wedged in the oesophagus, so as completely to close 
the trachea."** 

A stranger, on entering Rio Janeiro for the first time, is struck 
with the extremes of condition in the population. Two-thirds are 
slaves, and so debased, in form and manners, are many of them, 
that they appear more like baboons than men. The nobles and 
merchants are rolling in wealth and splendor, while multitudes of 
the slaves are all but naked and starving. Still, many of them 
rise in comfort, and even in wealth, and many of them secure 
their freedom. Occasionally, a tawny-faced African may be seen 
officiating as priest, and instructing his white brethren in the 
truths of religion. A slave, after ten years' bondage, is entitled to 
his freedom, as also when he is the father of ten children ! Thirty- 
three holidays are allowed them, on which they may have their 
wages ; and any one can free himself, by paying the price of his 
first cost. 

The slave-trade, domestic and foreign, is carried on briskly in 
Brazil. Thousands are brought from Africa annually, and sold in 
the markets. The slaves are kept naked in stalls, to be sold. The 
voice of the owner, or a crack of the whip, brings them out for ex- 
hibition and sale. The following description of the slave market, 
&c, with which we close our notices of Brazil, is from the pen of 
Dr. Walsh, considered excellent authority with reference to Bra- 
zilian usages : 

" Round the rooms are benches, on which the elder generally 
sit, and the middle is occupied by the younger, particularly fe- 
males, who squat on the ground, stowed close together, with their 
hands and chins resting on their knees. Their only covering is a 
small girdle of cross-barred cotton, tied round the waist. Tie 
first time I passed through this street, I stood at the bars of the 
window, looking through, when a cigano (gipsy-dealer) came and 
pressed me to enter. I was particularly attracted by a group of 
children, one of whom, a young girl, had something very pensive 
and engaging in her countenance. The cigano observing me look- 
ing at her, whipped her up with a long rod, and bade her, with a 
rough voice, come forward. It was quite affecting to see the 
poor, timid, shrinking child standing before me, in a state the most 

* Walsh. 



CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. 157 



helpless and forlorn that ever a being like myself, with a reason- 
able mind and an immortal soul, could be reduced to. Some of 
these girls have remarkably sweet and engaging countenances. 
Notwithstanding their dusky hue, they look so modest, gentle, 
and sensible, that you could not for a moment hesitate to acknowl- 
edge that they are endued with a like feeling and a common 
nature with your own daughters. The men were generally less in- 
teresting objects than the women. Some were soot-black, having 
a certain ferocity of aspect, that indicated strong and fierce pas- 
sions, like men who are darkly brooding over some deep-felt 
wrongs, and meditating revenge. When any one was ordered, he 
came forward with a sullen indifference, threw his arms over his 
head, stamped with his feet, shouted, .to show the soundness of 
his lungs, ran up and down the room, and was treated exactly like 
a horse put through his paces at a repository ; and when done, he 
was whipped to his stall. 

Many were lying stretched on the bare boards ; and among 
the rest, mothers with young children at their breast, of which 
they seemed passionately fond. They were all doomed to remain 
on the spot, like sheep in a pen, till they were sold. They have 
no apartment to retire to ; no bed to repose on ; no covering to 
protect them. They sit naked all day, and lie naked all night, on 
the bare boards or benches. 

Among the objects that attracted my attention in this place, 
were some young boys, who seemed to have formed a society to- 
gether. I observed several times, in passing by, that the same, 
little group was collected near a barred window. They seemed 
very fond of each other, and their kindly feelings were never in- 
terrupted by peevishness. Indeed, the temperament of a negro 
child is generally so sound, that he is not affected by those little 
morbid sensations which are the frequent cause of crossness and 
ill-temper in our children. I do not remember that I ever saw a 
young black fretful or out of humor. I sometimes brought cakes 
and fruit in my pocket, and handed them in to the group. It was 
quite delightful to observe the disinterested and generous manner 
in which, they distributed them. There was no scrambling with 
one another — no selfish reservation to themselves. The child to 
whom I happened to give them took them so gently, looked so 
thankfully, and distributed them so generously, that I could not 
help thinking that God had compensated their dusky hue by a 
more than usual portion of amiable qualities. 

Nothing is more absurd than to say that the Africans are happy, 
or reconciled to slavery. They seem to have as keen a sense of 
bondage, and to repine as bitterly at their lot, as any white man 



158 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 

in the same state in Africa ; indeed, if we may judge from the 
effects, still more. The harbor is constantly covered with the 
bodies of blacks, on whom no marks of violence are found, and 
who are known to have thrown themselves in, to escape from an 
insupportable life. I have seen them, myself, left by the tide on 
the strand, and some lying weltering just under our windows. 
We were eye witnesses to a very striking and melancholy fact of 
this kind. One evening, some policemen were conducting a woman 
to the calabouca, along the road leading from Catete. Just when 
they came opposite our door, where there was an open descent to 
the strand, the woman suddenly rushed down the rocks, and cast 
herself into the sea. The place in which she fell was too shallow to 
drown her ; so, after lying on her face a moment, she again raised 
herself, and, rushing forward into deeper water, she sunk and dis- 
appeared. The policemen made no attempt to save her, but Mr. 
Abercrombie ordered some of the blacks of our house to follow 
her. They immediately did so, brought her up apparently dead, 
and carried her into our hall. The negroes, supposing her to be 
dead, threw her down on the bare stones, just as they would be 
treated themselves, and she lay there just like any other worthless 
and despised object; but on examining the poor creature, we had 
reason to suppose it still possible to restore suspended animation. 
She was seized with convulsions, succeeded by a violent shudder- 
ing, when she fell into a slumber, from which she awoke in a sen- 
sible state. She had been employed in washing, which she will- 
ingly performed ; but her master treated her with the greatest 
cruelty and inhumanity, and in proof, she showed her arms and 
side, which were greatly swelled and inflamed, from the effect of 
blows received a few days before. She could endure it no longer, 
and fled to the wood. Her master immediately gave sixteen mil- 
reis to the capitao do mato, whose office it is to take fugitive 
slaves. She was pursued and overtaken, and was on her way 
back, when she conceived such a horror at again returning to en- 
counter the brutality she had before experienced, that she deter- 
mined not to be brought home alive. She appeared very grateful 
for the kindness with which she was treated, so different from any 
thing she had experienced in Brazil before, and proposed to do 
any work with alacrity to which she was put ; but when we spoke 
of her returning to her master, she expressed a degree of horror 
in her looks and manner that amounted to distraction, and seemed 
to think that she was little indebted to those who saved her life, 
if she was again to be given up to that suffering, than which loss 
of life was more tolerable." 



EUROPE. 



159 



CHAPTER XII. 




It is natural to pass from the UnifeM States to Europ£, for, in 
many respects, America, and especially the United States, repro- 
duce the peculiarities of Europe. Thence all the inhabitants of 
this country, except the Indians and the Africans, are derived. 
There are many striking differences between them, it is true, aris- 
ing from government and local influence ; after all, these differ- 
ences are not essential. The great lineaments of character are the 
same. The language, the literature, the habits of thought, the 
aspirations and aims, all are the same. And yet an American is 
always struck with the sti-ange and peculiar aspect of things in 
what he calls "the Old World." This impression, however, 
passes away, and he soon finds himself at home amid the usages 
of the mother- country. An intelligent citizen of the United States 
is soon domesticated in England or Scotland. He finds there, for 
the time being, a second and a congenial home. 



160 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



Still, in comparison with America, Europe is old and mature. 
Old associations, antique buildings, the hoary monuments of by- 
gone days, the haunts of genius consecrated for ages, ancient 
battle-fields, castles and baronial halls, beautiful ruins among the 
hills and vales, venerable grave-yards, ivy-clad churches, and 
haunted cairns, all are there, with their strange fascination. On 
that soil, soaked by the blood of martyrs, trod the mighty men of 
the olden time. There freedom fought and fell, or rose to su- 
premacy and triumph. There our holy religion was planted, 
amid agony and strife, and, acquiring a dominion wider than that 
of the Caesars, blessed the world with its gentle reign. There 
fought the Bruces and the Tells for liberty and their native land. 
There preached Luther and Fenelon, Zuingle and Chalmers, John 
Howe and Jeremy Taylor. There Newton and La Place read the 
starry heavens, and there sang, in numbers that will never die, 
Dante, Shakspeare, and Milton. 

We are in Europe, then, my readers, and I their humble cicerone 
in our journey round the world. Before us spread the green 
meadows of England, the vine-clad hills of France, the orange- 
fields of Spain, the green forests of Germany, the level steppes of 
Russia, the glacier peaks of Switzerland, and the olive-groves of 
Italy, mingled and beautified by the works of industry and art. 
Every thing, externally at least, appears mature and finished.* 
Roads, bridges, buildings, the fields, covered with the waving 
produce of agriculture, the fences, the cottages of the peasantry, 
the dwellings especially of the gentry, the residences of the nobil- 
ity, the gardens, the lawns, the places of out-door amusement, the 
squares and public promenades, all have an aspect of finish and 
elegance. In the larger cities, indeed, and even in the country 
hamlets, much poverty and crime, and consequent wretchedness, 
may be found ; but the general appearance of Europe, particularly 
in Great Britain, is that of wealth and civilization. Beggars 
enough, meager and tattered, swarm every where, in this respect 
differing essentially from the United States, where beggars, and 
especially tattered ones, are exceedingly rare ; and yet every re- 
gion almost, both in England and on the Continent, presents indi- 
cations of elegance and plenty. These, indeed, may be in the 
actual possession of "the few," while "the many" are struggling 
with difficulties ; but the countries themselves, as a whole, are 
attractive and beautiful. 

The first thing which strikes us in Europe, which has an area of 
something less than four millions of square miles, is the density of 

* Except, perhaps, in Russia. 



EUEOPE. 161 

the population, the whole amounting to nearly two hundred and 
seventy millions, which makes a population of about seventy to a 
square mile, the most intelligent, the most vigorous, the most en- 
terprising population in the world. The population of the United 
States, however, being of the same origin and races, are included 
in this category. " Nearly all the Europeans," says Ungewitter, 
in his Europe, " belong to the Caucasian race. Only a few tribes 
in Russia are Mongolians. With respect to their origin, the Eu- 
ropeans form three great divisions : the Germanes, Slavonians, 
and Romanians. The Germanes are to be considered as descend- 
ants of Gomer (Gen. x. 2), or of the Kimres, who at first lived in 
the countries near the mouths of the Dnieper and Dniester, whence 
they afterward moved to the north and northwest, and peopled 
the Scandinavian peninsula, the present kingdom of Denmark, 
Gei-many, &c. The old Goths were likewise Germanes. Thus, 
to the great family or tribe of the Germanes belong the Germans 
proper, most of the Swiss, and part of the English, the Dutch, 
the Flemings (in Belgium), the Banes, Icelanders, Norwegians, 
and Swedes. The Slavonians (or, rather, Slaves, but in another 
sense than those who are in bondage), in ancient times called 
Sarmates, are probably descendants of Magog and Madai (Gen. 
x. 2), or of the Scythians and Medes. In the beginning, they 
lived in the country between the Don, Volga, and the Caucasus 
Mountains, and, in the course of time, spread over the present 
Russia and Poland, and westward to the river Elbe. To the great 
family or tribe of the Slavonians belong the Russians, Poles, Ser- 
vians, Bosnians, Bulgarians, Croats, Slavonians proper, Bohe- 
mians, &c. The Romanians are descendants partly of the ancient 
Iberians, Gauls, &c, partly of the ancient Romans and Greeks, 
and partly of the Germanes ; and the Italians, French, Spaniards, 
Portuguese, and part of the Swiss, belong to this great family or 
tribe. Besides these three great divisions, there are still found 
descendants of the ancient Celts, or Gaels, in Ireland and Wales, 
and the Highlands of Scotland, and Basques, or descendants of 
Iberians, in Biscay, and in the neighborhood of Bayonne in France. 
The Turks belong to the Tartar tribe ; the Magyars in Hungary 
are probably descendants of the ancient Scythians, and lived, 
until the close of the ninth century of the Christian era, in the 
vicinity of the Ural River ; and the Greeks are descendants partly 
of the ancient Greeks, but chiefly of Slavonian tribes. The descent 
of the Jews is universally known. 

With the exception of about seven millions Mohammedans, 
three millions Jews, and a few pagans among the Samoides and 
Kalmucs, all the Europeans are Christians. Of these, nearly 



162 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



133,000,000 are Roman Catholics (occupying the Pyrennean pen- 
insula and Italy, and prevailing in France, Ireland, Belgium, Po- 
land, Austria, and Bavaria), more than 59,000,000 are attached 
to the Greek Church (chiefly in Russia, and moreover prevailing 
in Turkey, Greece, and the Ionian Islands), and about 58,000,000 
are Protestants, almost exclusively occupying the Scandinavian 
peninsula and Denmark, and prevailing in Great Britain, Prussia, 
Holland, Finland, in the Baltic provinces of Russia, and in most of 
the German States." 

In all the European States, the mechanic arts, the fine arts, 
music, sculpture, architecture, and painting, as also literature and 
science, agriculture and commerce, are carried to the highest point 
of perfection. Husbandry has reached the highest improvement 
in England, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Lom- 
bardy (the north of Italy). In manufactures and commerce Great 
Britain exceeds all other empires ; though in some branches of 
manufactures France, Belgium, and Germany are superior to it. 
The European States next after Great Britain, in commercial and 
political importance, are France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hol- 
land, &c. France has weakened herself by political changes and 
revolutions ; Great Britain, Russia, perhaps also Prussia, are 
steadily advancing in strength and resources. Italy, Spain, and 
Portugal are feeble — that is, feeble in comparison with the States 
just mentioned, as also in comparison Avith their former prosperity. 
The south is chiefly Catholic ; the north, with the exception of 
Russia, Protestant. 

Of all the European families, the German, including not only 
the inhabitants of Germany, but of England, Scotland, &c, or, as 
we sometimes term them, the Teutonic and Saxon races, are the 
most powerful, and, at present, possess the greatest influence. 
"Their own country," says McCulloch, " has never been conquered, 
while the Germans have been the most extensive and permanent 
of all conquerors, as is shown by their conquests of France, Eng- 
land, Italy, and Spain, and by the still more extensive conquests 
they are now achieving across the Atlantic and in Australia. The 
German family has probably exhibited greater enterprise, perse- 
verance, and even invention, than any other family, as evinced by 
its discoveries in arts and sciences, its military enterprises, and its 
political institutions. For the last two thousand years, and proba- 
bly even before it was known to the rest of the world, it has gone 
on steadily advancing in civilization, and in the accumulation of 
knowledge. The portraits of Luther, Milton, and Newton are favor- 
able representations of this family, and those of Gustavus Adolphus 
and Charles XII. exhibit its ruder and more vulgar form." 



EUEOPE. 163 

It is worthy of remark here that free institutions, civil and re- 
ligious, prevail among the German and Anglo-Saxon branch of 
the European family. Learning, industry, science, art, religion 
nourish among them, and, through their agency, are spreading in 
far and foreign lands. The form of civilization which they embrace 
is gaining ascendency throughout the world. Asia, Africa, Aus- 
tralia, are beginning powerfully to feel its influence. Indeed, the 
fate of mankind seems to be very much in their control. 

At this point we venture to introduce some statements touching 
the balance of power, and the relations. 5f the different European 
States. 

" Among the questions which occupy the attention of political 
men, none is perhaps more important than that which relates to 
the maintenance of the European balance of power. This balance 
consists in preserving the equality between the different powers of 
Europe, so that one of them can never dictate laws to the rest. 
It is easy to understand how this principle has gradually possessed 
the minds of the nations and controlled the counsels of kings. 
For, the equality of the great States renders all secure. Without 
it, all would be subordinated to the will of one man, or of one 
nation, and the independence of the others would be lost. But if 
the duty of maintaining the political balance in Europe is essential, 
it must be confessed that it leads also to much injustice, and 
exposes the secondary States to be agitated or oppressed by the 
stronger. 

Let us examine, first, by the light of history, the origin of the 
idea of a European balance of power ; and then see what are the 
results at the present moment. 

In the Dark Ages, when the feudal system prevailed from one 
end of the continent to the other, the thought of forming a gen- 
eral balance of power was almost entirely unknown. The nations 
had then little communication with one another. They did not 
know what passed beyond their respective frontiers, or but vaguely. 
Germany was ignorant of the internal condition of France, and 
France of that of Germany. Further, in one and the same coun- 
try, one province was often ill-informed of what took place in an- 
other. No newspapers ; no regular means of information. Thou- 
sands of petty feudal lords made war or peace at their pleasure. 
The European Republic, as it has been sometimes called, did not 
then exist. 

The first event which began to bring together the nations of 
Europe was that of the Crusades. The rulers of the different 
kingdoms became acquainted with each other. The nations min- 
gled with one another in vast armies, marching to the Holy Land, 



164 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



and learned to appreciate one another's ability. In this respect a 
real service was done to our Old World. Opinions became more 
liberal ; relations were formed between the various parts of Chris- 
tendom, and the fanatical desire of rescuing a grave at Jerusalem 
from infidels, gave the impulse to that vast European union which 
was established in subsequent ages. 

The bishops of Rome conceived -the plan of being the leaders of 
this new confederation of nations. They pretended to decide all 
great affairs which occurred in Europe, and kings found them- 
selves at the foot of him who wore the triple crown. These efforts 
of popery to exercise universal empire contributed, after the Cru- 
sades, to bring together the nations of Europe. But the evil was 
as great as the good, and perhaps greater ; for the Roman pon- 
tiffs, instead of employing their high authority to render strict 
justice to all, followed oftenest the suggestions of pride and ava- 
rice, and filled all the palaces with unworthy intrigues. Still, the 
idea of unity in the Christian world gained ground, and already 
we see, in the fifteenth century, nations opening frequent commu- 
nications with one another. 

The Reformation appeared at first to inflict a terrible blow upon 
this unity. It separated Europe into two hostile camps. Princes 
and their subjects formed alliances, not influenced by political 
considerations, but by their religious belief. For some time all 
was disorder. Romanists and Protestants, constantly in arms, 
struggled desperately for the ascendency, and sundered all the 
ties of the European confederation. It seemed, then, as if Chris- 
tendom would be divided into two great irreconcilable parts ; and 
the popes did not fail, from selfish motives, to foster these bloody 
discords. 

But, after some years, the Reformation contributed to unfold 
the idea of the European balance of power. Kings understood 
that the State has to do with politics .rather than with religion. 
They were tired of shedding the blood of their soldiers for doc- 
trinal disputes, and began to consult the social interests of their 
States. Thus, at the end of the sixteenth century, the King of 
France, Henry IV., in concert with his illustrious minister, Sully, 
conceived the high thought of a European congress, which should 
serve to protect the rights of nations, and to establish universal 
peace. He had contrived his plan with much wisdom, and pre- 
pared to put it in execution, when he fell under the dagger of an 
assassin, a disciple of Jesuits. 

In the seventeenth century, a prince of the Romish Church, 
Cardinal de Richelieu, feared not to join a Protestant king, Gus- 
tavus Adolphus, to fight the Catholic house of Austria. It be- 



EUROPE. 165 

came evident, from this time, that political questions exerted more 
influence than doctrinal disputes. What was the aim of Cardinal 
de Richelieu ? He desired to weaken the Emperor of Germany, 
because the vast States of this prince endangered the European 
balance. Another cardinal, Mazarin, presided, in 1648, at the 
peace of Westphalia, in which the civil rights of Protestants were 
duly regarded. He did not concern himself to know if Rome 
would be satisfied or not, provided the power of France was not 
endangered by that of the German emperors. 

Since the peace of Westphalia, the principle of the balance in 
Europe has constantly ruled in the councils of sovereigns ; and a 
history of the last two centuries might be written by taking this 
principle for the guide. All the important events, the wars, alli- 
ances, coalitions, friendly relations or cabinet quarrels, are explained 
by the need of protecting this balance, or of restoring it when lost. 
Look, for example, at what happened under the reign of Louis 
XIV. This prince had added several prov nces to his States ; he 
acquired gradually a preponderance dangerous to other nations. 
What then did they do ? They met under the direction of King 
William III., and forced the proud Louis XIV. to yield a part of 
his conquests. 

The eighteenth century brought upon the political stage two 
new States of the first order : Prussia and Russia. The first of 
these two powers had before been blended with the secondary 
States of Germany, and exerted no influence upon the general 
destinies of Europe. The military and diplomatic genius of Fred- 
erick II. first gave to Prussia the high rank which she now holds. 
Russia was barbarous before the eighteenth century, and seemed 
to belong less to Europe than to Asia, But she grew wonderfully 
under the Czar Peter and his successors. The cabinet of St. 
Petersburg undertook to interfere in all the affairs of the conti- 
nent, and now nothing important can be definitively settled with- 
out its leave. 

Here, then, are five great States in Europe : England, France, 
Austria, Russia, and Prussia. Formerly, Spain and the Ottoman 
Empire figured in the number ; but they are dwindled to the rank 
of secondary States, and others have taken their place. Strange 
vicissitudes in the fate of nations ! Nations are like individuals : 
they have their times of growth and of decay. 

The European balance has been several times in danger for fifty 
years. Napoleon, especially, completely deranged it. There was 
a time when he was absolute master of all the States except Eng- 
land and Russia. His empire extended from the Tagus to the 
Baltic. Italy, Spain, Holland, and part of Germany were sub- 



166 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



jected to his iron scepter. Austria dared not stir. Prussia was 
crushed, The small northern States trembled at his voice. Then 
the oppressed nations made gigantic efforts to restore the old bal- 
ance. There was a unanimous cry : " Independence ! National 
independence ! Better to die than to remain in bondage !" And 
Napoleon, in spite of his genius, succumbed. 

At the Congress of Vienna, in 1814, the diplomatists had but 
one idea, one aim : that of restoring the balance of Europe. The 
intention was wise and good, but the result was unhappy. Then 
appeared in all its nakedness the oppression which the large States 
exercised over the small. The sovereigns of England, Russia, 
Prussia, and Austria (I do not name France, for she was van- 
quished and humiliated) partitioned arbitrarily among themselves 
the nations, as if they were cattle. Ancient national ties were sac- 
rificed to political calculations. Unhappy Poland was adjudged 
to the northern powers, and must stifle her complaints before the 
bayonets of Cossacks. Belgium was united to Holland, though 
these two countries had nothing common in their religion, habits, 
nor even in their language. Italy was given up to the despotic 
power of Austria. Thus, the great States disposed tyrannically of 
the smaller, and, under pretense of constituting a better balance, 
changed at their will the map of Europe. 

Here is the abuse of a principle good in itself. By what right 
do the strong crush the weak ? Why should Poland, Belgium, 
Italy, Saxony, and other small States be mutilated, enslaved, 
stripped of their national character? Evidently, the principal 
members of the Congress of Vienna committed the same fault for 
which they so bitterly reproached Napoleon. They made no ac- 
count of historical traditions ; they did not respect ancient laws 
and principles of justice. The superiority of brute force was their 
only guide,, and the result is, that the treaties of 1815 have never 
taken deep root in the public mind. They have been violated at 
different times, even by those who dictated them, and the nations 
have protested, in the name of right, against the violence of which 
they were victims. 

In 1830, after the revolution of July, the French government 
proclaimed a new principle : that of non-intervention. This signi- 
fied that the great States were not authorized to interfere by force 
of arms in the internal affairs of the small States, that every na- 
tion was at liberty to change its political constitution as it saw fit, 
and that the independence of all was inviolate. This principle of 
non-intervention was observed in regard to Belgium, which was 
allowed to separate herself from Holland, without being invaded 
by the Prussian armies. The French nation was then determined 



EUKOPE. 1G? 



to hinder the encroachments of the northern sovereigns, and to 
go to war rather than let the liberty of Belgians or Spaniards be 
stifled. 

But this new principle was not long regarded. When troubles 
arose in Italy, Austria sent troops into the Pontifical States, de- 
claring that she was ready to make war upon France, if her right 
of intervention was disputed. The cabinet of Louis Philippe re- 
coiled from the prospect of a general war, and was content to 
interfere in turn in the affairs of Italy, by seizing upon the city of 
Ancona. Since that time the principle of non-intervention has 
been habitually violated. The great States have only consulted 
their own convenience, their own interests ; and, every time they 
have thought it for their advantage to oppress secondary jwwers, 
they have not scrupled to do it. 

In an abstract point of view, the question presents serious diffi- 
culties. Indeed, can the principle of non-intervention be laid 
down in an absolute manner ? Is it just and good in all cases ? 
Imagine that there are in a country of Europe two parties who 
butcher one another for whole years, without the one succeeding 
to conquer the other. Shall the civilized world witness, as an in- 
different spectator, this butchery ? And is it not their duty to 
interfere and stop such a cruel effusion of blood ? Suppose still 
that a sect of fierce Fourierists should become the ruling party in 
one of the States of our continent, that they should resort to pil- 
lage and murder to seize upon others' property, and arouse the 
indignant passions of the neighboring nations ; shall they be for- 
bidden to interfere ? And shall the government wait, in inaction, 
till the flames have reached their own dwellings ? 

This is impossible. The principle of non-intervention is not ab- 
solute. There are circumstances in which a nation has a right, 
further, when it is its duty, to meddle directly in the internal 
affairs of its neighbor. But what are the cases of exception? 
This seems incapable of being solved at present. If the cabinets 
of the large States are the sole judges of the circumstances in 
which they ought to interfere, it is clear that all is referred to the 
force of the bayonet, and that feeble countries have no protection 
against the power of the strong. 

We hope that the progress of public morals and of civilization 
will enable us one day to realize the noble thought of Peace So- 
cieties, which calls for a supreme tribunal to be instituted to decide 
international disputes. This tribunal should be composed of rep- 
resentatives of all the States. Matters should there be maturely 
discussed ; and when the majority shall pronounce sentence, who 
shall dare to oppose it ? We have already had diplomatic con- 



168 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



gresses in Europe. But the great powers were then alone repre- 
sented, and they decided without appeal upon the interests of 
nations which had not been called to express their opinion. This 
was not just, and unhappily, the time would seem still distant 
when each nation shall have a vote in a universal congress." 

We add a single observation here, that it must be evident to 
every attentive reader, that the principle and form of the preva- 
lent religion exert a prodigious, and, indeed, controlling influence, 
upon national character and destiny. Where this is weak, imper- 
fect, superstitious, or fanatical, the nation is subject to change, 
revolution, and final decay. On the other hand, where it is free, 
energetic, and pure, the nation becomes strong and prosperous, 
permanent and happy. The hand of God is visible in all the his- 
tory of man. 




ENGLAND. 



169 



CHAPTER XIII, 



ENGLAND. 




Tintern Abbey. 



Our readers will please to imagine themselves passing, on stage- 
coach or rail-car, or, what is better, in a comfortable carriage, 
with a couple of handsome horses, and a sleek, well-fed, good- 
natured postillion, through the busy towns, sweet hamlets, and 
sunny glades of " merry England," as it was called in the days of 
yore, in many respects the finest and most beautiful country in 
the world. Other lands may be superior to it in the boldness and 
richness of their scenery, the beauty of their skies, and the balmy 
purity of their atmosphere ; but, as a whole, none are so highly 
cultivated, or present such a charming variety of hill and dale, 
garden and meadow, forest and upland, adorned with all the re- 
sources of genius and wealth, and the thickly scattered monuments 

8 



170 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



of science and religion. The climate is rather cold and variable, 
but moist and mellow, particularly in summer and autumn, when 
the verdure of the trees and lawns is so peculiarly and intensely 
green, and the vast profusion of fruits and flowers attests the fer- 
tility of the soil and the good taste of the people. We remember 
well the first time we visited England. It was in the latter part 
of May, or, perhaps, the first or second week in June, we forget 
which, when sunshine and shadow, green leaves and blossoms, 
mingle their glories from one end of the land to the other. We 
were perched high upon the mail-coach, which dashed along over 
the smooth and level roads, winding: through meadow and wood- 
land, busy mart and rural retreat, at the rate of ten miles an hour. 
The country, far as the eye could reach, seemed to be one mag- 
nificent orchard. The day was " beautiful exceedingly," neither 
too warm nor too cold, but "just right;" the occupants of the 
mail-coach full of cheer, quite sociable and chatty, inspired, doubt- 
less, by the fine weather, the beautiful scenery, and the exhila- 
rating motion of the coach. The drivers were good-looking, care- 
defying fellows, with rosy cheeks and high cravats ; and the 
" guard," the veriest John Bull, dignified, yet merry, with a little 
eye incased in fat, and a short neck reposing upon a mass of 
shawl. Away we went, to the merry sound of the guard's bugle ; 
for, fat as he was, he had " great power of wind," and woke the 
echoes occasionally as we passed along ; now gliding through some 
fair landscape ; then ascending the uplands, rich in their garniture 
of trees and grass ; anon gaining some lofty summit, from which 
a wide prospect could be seen, of woods and streams gleaming in 
the sunlight, substantial cities, and rural villages ; then again 
diving into the valley, with its thick umbrage and cool retreats, its 
garden slopes, and handsome villas ; emerging into a wide plain, 
checkered with blossom-covered hedges, and clustering apple and 
plum trees, and adorned with large and comfortable farm-houses ; 
meeting here and there a cluster of cottages among the trees, cov- 
ered with roses and honeysuckles, and occasionally descrying some 
castle, or castellated mansion, on the acclivities beyond ; now roll- 
ing along a shady avenue of lofty trees, whence the ruins of some 
ancient abbey, or the country-seat of some baronet, marquis, or 
duke could be seen, with its spacious edifice, and superb lawn, 
smooth as velvet, its patriarchal trees, and timid deer gazing 
through the thickets, or startled from their repose by the sound 
of our vehicle. We traveled that day and the next some two 
hundred miles, caught a glimpse of " the silver Avon" and the 
majestic Severn, "the blue hills" of Malvern, the vale of Evesham, 
and the rich plains of Gloucester, and assuredly, in all our travels 



ENGLAND. 171 



over the world, we never saw a richer or fairer country. Some- 
thing, indeed, might be due to our youthful imagination, and the 
novelty of the scenery through which we passed ; but we have 
often traveled in England since, and always with fresh delight. 
Not long ago we passed, after a long absence from the country, 
by steam -car from Liverpool to Birmingham, and from Birming- 
ham to London, and the country upon which we gazed, while the 
light lasted, seemed, if possible, more beautiful than ever. To be 
sure, it was summer again, or rather, we ought to say, autumn, 
when England is clad in her richest costume of verdure and trees, 
and the mellow sunshine sleeps lovingly upon her wooded land- 
scape. 

Perhaps the distinguishing peculiarity in the aspect of England 
is the exuberance of its vegetation, and the luxuriant appearance 
of the lower and more extensive regions. The central and richer 
parts of the country are somewhat level, and, in this respect, in- 
ferior in picturesqueness to Scotland or Switzerland. But even 
these are made beautiful by the moist and genial climate, and the 
hand of art and industry. Centuries of time and millions of money 
have been spent in making England what it is. In no country is 
so much done by taste and science to render it at once fertile and 
attractive. Every spot seems cultivated. Trees and flowers 
every where abound ; nothing can exceed the beauty of its rich 
and waving harvests. 

Nor are the cities of England without their attractions. Their 
great size and splendor cannot fail to excite the admiration of all 
who visit them. Vast centers of commerce and trade, they liter- 
ally throb with life and industry. " They are the chosen seats 
of opulence, art, science, and civilization." We may add, as in all 
similar cases, " of luxury, poverty, and crime.'" " All the gratifi- 
cations that wealth can command, or the caprices of taste and 
fashion require, may there be had in the utmost profusion, at the 
same time that art and industry are carried in them to the high- 
est perfection to which they have attained, and are aided by every 
invention and discovery, however remote the country, or distant 
the era of then invention." 

"fr So much for the external aspect of England ; as to the people, 
they are, generally speaking, of a good, substantial presence, full 
of energy, intelligence, and enterprise, rather proud and distant, 
but possessing much generous enthusiasm and kindly feeling, be- 
ing good fathers and mothers, excellent neighbors, and loyal 
citizens. Of course there are great diversities among them ; both in 
the higher and the lower orders of society, grievous errors and vices 
may be found, but the great body of the people are honest and 



172 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



virtuous. The social life of England is among the most genial 
and delightful in the world. Ten thousand happy homes gladden 
her hills and valleys. Religion is a predominant element in their 
character. The Bible, neglected and despised by many in Eng- 
land as elsewhere, is yet " the book of the people," the great 
charter of their rights and immunities, as well as the nurse of their 
piety and virtue. John Bull, indeed, is purse-proud, and es- 
pecially title-proud. He despises others, often speaking of them 
as " bores" or " fools," a fault into which even the gifted and 
generous Carlyle has permitted himself to fall. He is somewhat 
exacting and even overbearing in his demands, and though pos- 
sessed of a keen sense of personal honor, is not over-scrupulous as 
to the rights of others, and will trample them in the dust should 
they come in his way, or interfere with his plans ; but he is a 
noble fellow after all, full of heart, full of all high and generous 
impulses. He loves good eating, and pays great homage to a 
huge lordly carcass, even if not largely endowed with brain. 
He is fond of wine and beer, and is guilty sometimes of a sort of 
boastful profanity ; but he means, as a whole, to be temperate 
and virtuous, and certainly far excels his Continental neighbors 
in all qualities of head and heart. In his own opinion, he is su- 
perior to three or four Italians, and at least half a dozen French- 
men ! As a critic, John is amazingly lenient to himself, severe upon 
others, and especially upon Americans. He can scarcely speak 
of republican institutions with patience, and denounces the en- 
tire American people as so many " millions of bores." 

In commerce, agriculture, science, and literature, England has at- 
tained the highest distinction. Including Scotland and Ireland, 
her empire, in some sense, encircles the world. The roll of her 
morning drum is heard in the wilds of Canada and Australia, on 
the plains of Hindostan, and in the isles of the ocean. Her ships 
whiten every sea. Her merchants and bankers are princes of the 
earth. True, her national debt is immense, and her numerous 
taxes grievous to be borne, especially by the poorer classes ; the 
former amounting to the huge sum of eight hundred millions of 
pounds sterling, or about four thousand millions of dollars, to meet 
the interest on which and the expenses of the government, there 
is raised by Great Britain a yearly revenue of two hundred and 
fifty millions of dollars. Yet the wealth of the country is con- 
stantly increasing. 

'■ The resources of England are all but boundless, derived not 
only from her vast possessions in foreign countries, but from con- 
tinual improvements and discoveries in science and the arts of in- 
dustry. Her large standing army, her extensive navy, and her 



ENGLAND. 



173 



national church, so richly pensioned, are a heavy drawback upon 
her resources ; and yet England is strong, vigorous, and thriving. 
Many persons, poorly informed, talk of her as on the verge of bank- 
ruptcy and dissolution. No mistake can be more absurd. True, 
the wealth of England is badly distributed, her institutions are 
enormously expensive, and her poorer classes often suffer terribly 




Parish Church of Stratford-on-Avon. 



from the pressure of taxes, excessive competition, graspinc avarice, 
and defective legislation ; but England, as a whole, is one of the 
richest countries in the world, and her resources are equal to ajl 
her wants. 

Kich especially in the gifts of soul, the literature of Eno-land, 
the heritage of all who speak the English tongue, is at once 



174 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



Vigorous and beautiful. Into this glorious treasure, the myriad- 
minded Shakspeare, the majestic Milton, the inventive Bacon, the 
aerial Shelley, the eloquent Coleridge, and the sublime Words- 
worth have poured their contributions. To this also John Bunyan 
and John Locke, John Newton and Jeremy Taylor, John Foster 
and Thomas de Quincey, John Wilson and Thomas Chalmers 
have added their golden stores. A long race of poets, orators, 
artists, divines, and statesmen, have adorned the annals of English 
literature ; and though not, perhaps, equal to the Miltons & and 




Birth-place of Shakspeare. 



Shakspeares of an elder day, the literary men of modern Eno-kmd 
seem not unworthy of their sires. 

Among the highest distinctions of England is her spirit of Re- 
ligion, often outward and formal, no doubt, but oftener, we trust, 
inward and vital. The whole land is beautified and hallowed by 
the services of Christian worship, by the spirit of holy love and 
devotion. In that beautiful island, ages upon ages, great and 
good men have worshiped, whether in the open fields or in the 
temples of God. The prayers of martyrs and confessors, and the 



ENGLAND. 175 



songs of loving and devout hearts, have ascended from all her 
hills and vales. " my mother isle !" exclaims the enthusiastic 
Coleridge, 

" How shouldst thou prove aught else but dear and holy 
To me, who from thy lakes and mountain rills, 
Thy clouds, thy quiet dales, thy rocks and seas, 
Have drank in all my intellectual life, 
All sweet sensations, all ennobling thoughts, 
All adoration of the God in nature, 
All lovely and all honorable things, 
Whatever makes this mortal spirit feel 
The joys and greatness of its future being ! 
There lives not form nor feeling in my soul 
Unborrowed from my country. divine 
And beauteous island ! thou hast been my soul 
And most magnificent temple, in the which 
I walk with awe, and sing my stately songs, 
Loving the God who made me." 

The character of England, its people, and even its external as- 
pect, are much modified by its aristocracy, perhaps the best in the 
world, and as good as an aristocracy can well be, under the in- 
fluence of wealth, rank, and luxury, but absorbing much of the 
national resources, and fostering a spirit of pride and ambition 
throup-h all orders of society ; for in no part of the world is there 
such an idolatry of wealth and station as in England. And yet 
the existence of such an aristocracy has its advantage as well as 
its disadvantages. Much of the refinement and dignity of the 
country are thence derived, much of its grandeur and power. To 
understand England, then, one must know something of her aris- 
tocracy, and their modes of life. That they are proud and lux- 
urious, and often act as an incubus upon the nation, cannot be 
doubted. But much also of true virtue and real nobility is found 
in this class. Among the most beautiful and happy homes of 
England are thousands belonging to the " nobility". They foster 
literature and the arts, and often set an example of modesty, humili- 
ty, and dignity worthy of the highest praise. A glimpse into their 
interior life, particularly at their country-seats, and the immense 
influence which they must thence exert, is given in the following 
extract, condensed, in part, from Howitt and N. P. Willis, as quoted 
in his " Rural Life," by the former. The scene, as described by 
Willis, is laid in Scotland, but it will serve also for England, for 
the aristocracies of the two countries are essentially alike. 

" Much has been said of the evil effect of the aristocratic habit 
of spending so much time in the metropolis ; of the vast sums 
there spent in ostentatious revelry, in equipage and establishments ; 



176 THE WOKLD WE LIVE EST. 



in the dissipations of theaters, operas, routs, and gaming-houses ; 
and, unquestionably, there is much truth in it. On the other hand, 
it cannot be denied that this annual assembling together has some 
advantages. A great degree of knowledge and refinement results 
from it, amid all the attendant folly and extravagance. They 
acquire information, compare plans for the improvement of the 
country, and gain freedom and polish of manners. If they spend 
large sums in splendid houses and establishments in town, such 
houses and such establishments become equally necessary to them 
in the country ; and it is by this means that, instead of old and 
dreary castles and chateaux, we have such beautiful mansions, so 
filled with rich paintings and elegant furniture, dispersed all over 
England. From these places, as centers existing here and there, 
similar tastes are spread through the less wealthy classes, and the 
elegances of life flow into the parsonages, cottages, and abodes of 
persons of less income and less intercourse with society. Multi- 
tudes, indeed, spend their money very foolishly, and acquire habits 
of vice, but others come down to their estates, after a season of 
hurry and excitement, with a fresh feeling for the beauty and re- 
pose of their country abodes. The possessors of great houses 
and estates invite a party to spend the recess, or especially the 
shooting season Avith them. Thus the world of fashion is broken 
up and scattered from the metropolis into a multitude of lesser 
circles, and into every corner of the empire. I can conceive 
nothing which bears on its surface the aspect of the perfection of 
human society so much as this assembling of a choice party of 
those who have nothing to do but to enjoy life, in the house 
of some hospitable wealthy man, in some one of the terrestrial 
paradises in this kingdom ; in some fine Elizabethan mansion, 
some splendid baronial castle, as Warwick, Alnwick, or Raby ; 
or in some rich old abbey, amid woods and parks, or seated on 
one of our wild coasts ; or amid the mountains of Wales or Scot- 
land, with all their beautiful scenery, rocks, hanging cliffs, dashing 
water-falls, rapid rivers, and fairy wildernesses around them. 

" Prince Puckler Muskau speaks with enthusiasm of the country 
houses and park scenery of England. His book, indeed, is full of 
pictures of such country life and scenery. The beautiful dairies 
which he sometimes found in noblemen's parks delighted him ex- 
tremely. Thus he speaks of the one at Woburn Abbey : ' The 
dairy is a prominent and beautiful object. It is a sort of Chinese 
temple, decorated with a profusion of white marble and colored 
glasses ; in the center is a fountain, and round the walls hundreds 
of large dishes and bowls, of Chinese and Japan porcelain, of every 
form and color, filled with new milk and cream. The consoles 



ENGLAND. IV 7 



upon which these vessels stand are perfect models for Chinese 
furniture. The windows are of ground glass, with Chinese paint- 
ings, which shows fantastically enough by the dim light.' 

" But the testimony of Mr. Willis as an American, and there- 
fore accustomed to a life and sentiment more allied to our own, is 
still stronger. His account of his visit to Castle Gordon is a per- 
fect example of all such scenes. 

" The immense iron gate surmounted by the Gordon arms ; 
the handsome and spacious lodges on either side ; the canonically 
fat porter, in white stockings and gray livery, lifting his hat as he 
swung open the massive portal, all bespoke the entrance to a 
noble residence. The road within was edged with velvet sward, 
and rolled to the smoothness of a terrace-walk ; the winding ave- 
nue lengthened away with trees of every variety of foliage ; light 
carriages passed by me driven by gentlemen or ladies ; beautiful 
blood horses, and keepers with hounds and terriers, gentlemen on 
foot, idling along the walk, and servants in different liveries hurry- 
ing to and fro, betokened a scene of busy gayety before me. I had 
hardly noted these various circumstances, before a sudden curve 
in the road brought the castle into view, a vast stone pile, with 
castellated wings ; and in another moment I was at the door, 
where a dozen lounging and powdered menials were waiting on a 
party of ladies and gentlemen to their several carriages. It was 
the moment of the afternoon drive. 

" The last phaeton dashed away, and my chaise advanced to 
the door. A handsome boy, in a kind of page's dress, immedi- 
ately came to the window, addressed me by name, and informed 
me that his grace was out shooting, but would return to dinner, 
that my room was ready, and that he was ordered to wait on me. 
I followed him through a hall lined with statues, deers' horns, 
and armor, and was ushered into a large chamber looking out on 
a park, extending, with its lawns and woods, to the edge of the 
horizon. 

" ' Who is at the castle ?' I asked, as the boy busied himself in 
unstrapping my portmanteau. ' 0, a great many, sir,' and he be- 
gan counting on his fingers a long list of lords and ladies. ' And 
how many sit down to dinner ?' ' Above ninety, sir, besides the 
duke and duchess.' And off he tripped, turning back to inform 
me that the dinner-hour was seven precisely. 

" It was a mild, bright afternoon, quite warm for the end of an 
English September, and with a fire in the room, and a soft sun- 
shine pouring in at the windows. I passed the time till the,sun 
set looking out on the park. Hill and valley lay between my eye 
and the Jiorizon ; sheep fed in picturesque flocks, and small 

8* 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



fallow-deer grazed near them ; the trees were planted, and the 
distant forest planted by the hand of taste ; and broad and beau- 
tiful as was the expanse taken in by the eye, it was evidently one 
princely possession. A mile from the castle wall the shaven 
sward extended in a carpet of velvet softness, as bright as emerald, 
studded by clumps of shrubbery ; and across it bounded occasion- 
ally a hare, and the pheasants fed undisturbed near the thickets ; 
or a lady, with flowing riding-dress and flaunting feather, dashed 
into sight upon her fleet blood-palfrey, and was lost the next mo- 
ment in the woods ; or a boy put his pony to his mettle up the 
ascent ; or a game-keeper idled into sight with his gun in the 
hollow of his arm, and his hounds at his heels. And all this 
little world of enjoyment, and luxury, and beauty lay in the hand 
of one man, and was created by his wealth in these northern wilds 
of Scotland, a day's journey, almost, from the possession of another 
human being. I never realized so forcibly the splendid results 
of wealth and primogeniture. 

" I was sitting by the fire, when a tall white-haired gentleman 
presented himself, of noble physiognomy, but singularly cordial 
address, with a broad red ribbon across his breast, and welcomed 
me most heartily to the castle. The gong sounded at the next 
moment, and in our way down, he named over his other guests, 
and prepared me, in a measure, for the introduction which followed. 
The drawing-room was crowded like a soiree. The duchess, a tall, 
and very handsome woman, with a smile of the most winning 
sweetness, received me at the door, and I was presented succes- 
sively to every person present. Dinner was announced immedi- 
ately, and we passed through files of servants to the dining-room. 
It was a large and very lofty hall, supported at the ends by 
marble columns, within which was stationed a band of music, play- 
ing delightfully. The walls were lined with full-length family 
portraits, from old knights in armor to the modern dukes in kilt 
of the Gordon plaid ; and on the sideboard stood services of gold 
plate,! the most gorgeously massive and the most beautiful in 
workmanship I have ever seen. There were, among the vases, 
several large coursing-cups, won by the duke's hounds, of exquisite 
shape and ornament. 

" I have been struck every where, in England, with the beauty 
of the higher classes, and as I looked around me upon the aristo- 
cratic company at the table, I thought I had never seen ' Heaven's 
image double-stamped as man, and noble,' so unequivocally clear. 
* ; * * The band ceased playing when the ladies left the 
table ; the gentlemen closed up, conversation assumed a merrier 
cast, coffee and liqueurs were brought in when the wines began 



ENGLAND. 179 



to be circulated more slowly, and at eleven there was a general 
move to the drawing-room. Cards, tea, music, filled up the time 
till twelve, and then the ladies took their departure. I got to 
bed somewhere about two o'clock ; and thus ended an evening 
which I had anticipated as stiff and embarrassing, but which is 
marked in my tablets as one of the most social and kindly I have 
had the good fortune to record on my travels. 

" I arose late in the morning, and found the large party already 
assembled about the breakfast-table — ladies and gentlemen, both 
dressed with remarkable plainness, quite at their ease, reading the 
newspaper, or chatting and laughing with one another. 

" Breakfast in England is a confidential and unceremonious meal, 
and servants are generally dispensed with. Nothing could be 
more easy, unceremonious, and affable than the tone of the meal. 
One after another rose and fell into groups in the windows, or 
walked up and down the long room, and, with one or two others, 
I joined the duke at the head of the table, who gave us some in- 
teresting particulars of the salmon fisheries of the Spey. The 
privilege of fishing the river within his lands is bought of him at 
the pretty sum of eight thousand pounds (forty thousand dollars) 
a year. 

"The ladies went off, unaccompanied, to their walks in the 
park and other avocations ; those bound for the covers joined the 
game-keepers, who were waiting, with their dogs in the leash, at 
the stables ; and some paired off to the billiard-room. * * * 

" The routine of Gordon Castle was what each one chose to 
make it. Between breakfast and lunch, the ladies were generally 
invisible, and the gentlemen rode or shot, or played billiards, or 
kept their rooms. At two o'clock a dish of hot game and a pro- 
fusion of cold meats were set on the small tables in the dining- 
room, and every body came in for a kind of lounging half-meal, 
which occupied perhaps an hour. Thence all adjourned to the 
drawing-room, under the windows of which were drawn up car- 
riages of all descriptions, with grooms, outriders, footmen, and 
saddle-horses for gentlemen and ladies. Parties were then made 
up for driving or riding, and, from a pony-chaise to a phaeton-and- 
four, there was no class of vehicle which was not at your disposal. 
In ten minutes the carriages usually were all filled, and away they 
flew, some to the banks of the Spey or the seaside, some to the 
drives in the park, and with the delightful consciousness that, 
speed where you would, the horizon scarce limited the possession 
of your host, and you were every where at home. The ornamental 
gates flying open at your approach, miles distant from the castle ; 
the herds of red-deer trooping away from the sound of wheels in 



180 THE WOULD WE LIVE IN. 



the silent park ; the stately pheasants feeding tamely in the im- 
mense preserves ; the hares scarcely troubling themselves to get 
out of the length of the whip ; the stalking game-keepers lifting 
their hat in the dark recesses of the forest, — there was something 
in this perpetually reminding you of privileges, which, as a nov- 
elty, was far from disagreeable. I could not at the time bring 
myself to feel, what perhaps would be more poetical and repub- 
lican, that a ride in the wild and unfenced forests of my own 
country would have been more to my taste. 

' ' The second afternoon after my arrival, I took a seat in the 
carriage with Lord A., and we followed the duchess, who drove 
herself in a pony-chaise, to visit a school on the estate. Attached 
to a small Gothic chapel, a five minutes' drive from the castle, 
stood a building in the same style, appropriated to the instruction 
of the children of the duke's tenantry. There were a hundred and 
thirty little creatures, from two years to five or six, and, like all 
infant-schools in these days of improved education, it was an in- 
teresting and affecting sight. % * * 

" The number at the table of Gordon Castle was seldom less 
than thirty ; but the company was continually varied by depart- 
ures and arrivals. No sensation was made by either the one or 
the other. A traveling- carriage dashed up to the door, was dis- 
burdened of its load, and drove round to the stables, and the ques- 
tion was seldom asked, ' Who is arrived ?' You are sure to see at 
dinner — and an addition of half a dozen to the party made no per- 
ceptible difference in any tiling. Leave-takings were managed in 
the same quiet way. Adieus were made to the duke and duchess, 
and to no one else, except he happened to encounter the parting 
guest upon the staircase, or were more than a common acquaintance. 
In short, in every way the g&ne (burden) of life seemed weeded out, 
and if unhappiness or ennui found its way into the castle, it was in- 
troduced in the sufferer's own bosom. For one, I gave myself up 
to enjoyment with an abandon I could not resist. With kindness 
and courtesy in every look, the luxuries and comforts of a regal 
establishment at my freest disposal — solitude when I pleased, com- 
pany when I pleased— the whole visible horizon fenced in for the 
enjoyment of a household, of which I was a temporary portion, 
and no enemy except time and the gout, I felt as if I had been 
spirited into some castle of felicity, and had not come by the royal 
mail-coach at all." 

This, says Mr. Howitt, is one of the most perfect and graphic 
descriptions of English aristocratical life in the country which was 
ever written. It is, indeed, on the highest and broadest scale, and 
is not to be equaled by every country gentleman ; but in kind 



ENGLAND. 181 



and degree, the same character and spirit extend to all such 
life. 

Society in England, the government, the church, the army and 
the navy, every thing, in fact, is adapted to the state of things 
which this description implies. The aristocracy, with the bishops 
of the church, form the House of Lords, the highest legislative 
body in the country, corresponding somewhat to the United States 
Senate, while the House of Commons, the real, working legisla- 
ture, corresponds to the American Congress.* The nobles own 
large portions of the country, and exert a controlling influence in 
Church and State. Their property is entailed, consequently can 
never be alienated, but descends from father to son, through a 
thousand generations. While the poorer portions of the commu- 
nity are condensed into heaving, and frequently suffering, masses, 
these noble lords are prosecuting their amusements on their wide 
domains, where the poor man dare not shoot a rabbit or snare a 
hare. Thousands upon thousands of the working classes live upon 
a shilling a day laboriously earned. Whole families subsist upon 
eighteen pence a day, and sometimes less. The poor weavers not 
unfrequently suffer for the want of food, and many an honest man 
has been compelled to beg his bread from door to door. 

This, however, is not the condition, universally, of the " great 
masses," as they are called. Multitudes of the farmers live like 

* The constitution of England is mixed ; and, upon the whole, favorable 
to freedom. The aristocratic and kingly elements doubtless exert much in- 
fluence, but these are checked and modified by the popular will. The great 
body of the people, who compose the electors, in the end, control the action 
of government through their representatives. The monarch is the apex or 
head of the whole, and is supposed to exert an all-controlling power ; but 
this is a popular mistake, as McCulloch has shown. " The whole executive 
and administrative functions of government, as well foreign as domestic, are 
performed in the name of the king. He has the sole power of making war 
and peace ; and, as incident to that power, the command and disposal of the 
army, navy, and other forces of the kingdom. He is conservator of the 
public peace, in which character all civil prosecutions are carried on in his 
name. He is the head of the judicial system, &c. * * * Substantially, 
and in fact, however, the power of the crown is comparatively limited. It 
is a constitutional principle that ' the king can do no wrong ;' but though he 
be not, his ministers are, held responsible for all illegal or unconstitutional 
acts committed in his name. It is further indispensable that his ministers 
should be able to command a majority in the House of Commons. * * 
He appoints ministers, but they must be confirmed by the representatives 
of the people." To which may be added, that while it is the prerogative 
of the king to declare peace and war, it belongs to the " Commons" to vote 
the supplies ; so that in various ways, they have a veto upon the acts of 
his majesty. If the people of England, therefore, are poorly governed, 
they have none to blame but themselves. 



182 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



gentlemen, many of whom rent farms of 500 or 1000 acres, and 
keep their hounds and horses. In the rural districts, the peasantry, 
though frequently rather poor and ignorant, take much solid com- 
fort. They dearly love their humble homes and pleasant gardens. 
Neighborly and kind, full of chat and cheer, generally enjoying 




English Milkmaid. 



excellent health, fearing God ?nd keeping his commandments, 
they spend their lives in peace and joy, and finally sleep in the 
quiet church -yard among the graves of their fathers. 

The English are eminently a social people. They love kindly 



184 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IK. 




ENGLAND. 185 



gatherings and festivals, old customs and old amusements. They 
keep Christmas and other holidays with infinite relish. While 
the rich and aristocratic amuse themselves with their appropriate 
sports, the common people have their gatherings and gambols, 
rough and riotous sometimes, though generally within the bounds 
of decency and good temper. 

It is in their homes, however, and among their children, that 
the people are seen to most advantage — in their family meetings, 
or in the house of God. Some, indeed, are neglectful of religion, 
but the great body of the people go to church somewhere, and 
multitudes possess a quiet and cheerful piety. 

Education in England is confined too much to the higher orders. 
Noble and learned universities, high schools, grammar schools, and 
boarding schools, free academies for particular classes, and excel- 
lent foundations for the instruction of orphan children and others, 
abound. But universal provision is not yet made for the free edu- 
cation of the people, and hence great multitudes can neither read 
nor write. And yet the peasantry of England are among the best 
of their class. Thousands of them have sentiments and aspirations 
as noble and generous as those of Hampden and Sydney. Their 
dear homes nestle on hill -side and valley, among clustering roses 
and honeysuckles, while within gleams the good old Bible with the 
light of holy love and joy. g 

In the larger cities the population is more diversified. Wealth 
and luxury abound side by side with poverty and disease. In 
London alone, that huge center of good and bad, are something 
^ess than seventy or eighty thousand prostitutes, and a yet greater 
number of thieves ! But such contrasts are seen, to some extent, 
in all large cities. Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham swarm 
with vicious characters. Yet you can walk unharmed any where, 
every where, such is the perfection of the police. And while vice 
abounds in these overgrown cities, both among the high and the 
low, the rich and the poor, there also virtue and religion, science, 
art, industry, order, and felicity abound. London, for example, 
is a great center not only of science and literature for all who 
speak the English tongue, but of benevolence for the world. If 
"hells" are there, in which fortune, character, every thing, in a 
word, that men hold dear, is lost every night, there also innumer- 
able churches and schools, hospitals and homes, exert their benign 
influence. 

While England is an agricultural, it is also a commercial and 
manufacturing country. Enter her ten thousand factories — with 
millions and myriads of machines, for spinning, knitting, weaving, 
washing, dyeing, grinding, and polishing ; travel along her coasts, 



186 



THE WOKLD WE LIVE EST. 



studded with harbors and light-houses ; pass among her extensive 
wharves, with forests of masts, or into some of her gigantic store- 
houses, and astonishment will seize you at her immense wealth and 
resources. The capital of Great Britain invested in commerce is 
estimated at £1,500,000,000, or more than $6,000,000,000. The 
six articles of cotton, woolen goods, hardware, earthenware, silks, 
and leather alone give employment to about two millions of per- 
sons, and amount in value annually to about five hundred millions 
of dollars.* Her mines of coal, lead, copper, &c, are of more 
value than all the gold of Mexico and Peru. 

But the power of England in foreign lands, and particularly in 
India, is, if possible, still more striking, controlling, as it does, 




The Eddystone Light-House. 

a large portion of Asia, and something more than a hundred and 
twenty millions of people. The East India Company alone, for 
years, has governed a large portion of the Asiatic continent. 

" The stockholders of this company have never much exceeded 
two thousand ; and the capital stock, on which dividends have 
been paid, at the largest, has been put at £6,000,000. It has 
been subject, in England, to the unwise management which must 
always attend a company whose stockholders and directors are 
constantly changing, and whose agents and field of operations are 
distant by half the circumference of the globe from the center 
where measures originate ; and besides this, it has had to encounter 
the hostility of the whole commercial class of England, formerly 
shut out, by its monopoly, from the Indian trade, while in India 



* The whole population of England, including Wales, is about seventeen 
Bullions. 



ENGLAISTD. 



137 



it has contended for existence on a hundred bloody battle-fields, 
with Dutch and French, and the native monarchies of the East. 
But, notwithstanding all obstacles, it has expelled the Dutch ; it 
has annihilated the power of the French in India ; has subdued 
one native kingdom after another ; its factories have grown into 
States, and these States into a vast and consolidated empire ; it 
has maintained a standing army larger than that of any European 
power except Russia, and varying, at different times, from 150,000 
to 280,000 men ; it has conducted sieges not less dreadful than 
those which drenched the cities of Spain in blood, in the Penin- 
sular war ; it has stormed imperial cities and fortresses almost 
beyond number. So incessant have been its wars, that for a 
hundred years scarcely a day has passed in which the wild beasts 
of the jungles, or the alarmed inhabitants of the hills, have not 
fled before the thunder of the British cannon. Its bayonets have 




St. Paul's Church, London. 

broken the great power of the wild Mahratta cavalry, of the well- 
disciplined squadrons of Mysore, and of the fanatic courage of the 
Sikhs ; it has subdued great and warlike kingdoms, and not only 
subdued them, but has disposed of their sovereigns, appropriated 
their revenues, subverted institutions old as India herself, recon- 
structed its laws and jurisprudence, and over vast regions changed 
the very tenures by which the soil is held. Its history is full of 
vast schemes — to-day of conquest, to-morrow of social regener- 
ation and improvement — of skillful diplomacy, of heroic achieve- 
ment, of desperate valor, making good all deficiencies of numbers 
and resources, and of names, world-renowned in statesmanship, 
and war, and literature, .md religion. This company in England 
has been composed of merchants and others, who have lived 



188 THE WOKLD WE LIVE EN". 



quietly as good subjects and citizens, unknown and unheard of; 
yet they have appointed, and, at their pleasure, recalled governors- 
general who have exercised in India a despotic authority over the 
fortunes of more than one hundred millions of people, which the 
monarch of England dare not exercise in his island domain. Be- 
fore its charter expired in 1833, it had subdued nearly the whole 
peninsula, from Cape Comorin to the impassable snows of the 
Himalayah Mountains. And since then, the career of conquest 
has not paused. The cannon of England have burst open the 
mysterious gates of China ; she is trying new experiments in civ- 
ilization among the savages of Borneo ; she has added the Punjaub 
to her empire, and a thousand miles west of the Indus, reversing 
the course of Alexander's conquests, penetrating among the wild 
and warlike tribes of Afghanistan, where she met the fiercest re- 
sistance, her unwearied battalions have reached the confines' of 
Persia, and the echoes of her advancing drums have startled the 
sentinels who at night kept watch at the outpost of Russian 
power." 



IEELAND. 



189 



CHAPTER XIV. 

IRELAND. 




Kilkenny 



Crossing the Channel, we land upon the shores of Ireland, that 
" gem of the ocean," as her native poets call it, with her pigs and 
potatoes, her beautiful scenery, and peculiar population. A finer 
country externally, a richer and more fertile, the sun does not 
shine upon. And yet how poor, how miserably poor the people! 
Ireland, however, is not destitute of genius and virtue. Her 
Currans and Burkes, her Sheils and O'Connells, attest her mental 
power. But Ireland is poorly governed. Her people are igno- 
rant and superstitious, improvident and restless. Beggars, the 
most tattered and torn, the most importunate and whining, except, 
perhaps, those of Naples and Rome, beset you at every corner. 



190 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



Restless politicians, intriguing demagogues, and power-loving 
priests keep the people in a perpetual ferment. Indeed, the Irish 
have" many faults ; but they are brave, patient, laborious, kind- 
hearted, witty, and generous, and doubtless would make a great and 
a good people, if only educated and enlightened. The educated 
Irish are a most interesting and polished class. Some of them are ex- 
ceedingly eloquent, both in public speech and private conversation. 

We cannot, however, dwell long upon this country. The fol- 
lowing is the best and briefest account of its condition we have 
ever seen. It deserves an attentive perusal. 

" Ireland is 306 miles long, and 200 broad. It contains 42,510 
square miles, or 20,808,271 acres ; of which 13,887,711 acres are 
cultivated; 6,295,735 acres waste ; and 930,825 acres are under 
water. Off the coast are 196 islands. 

Placed between Europe and America, Ireland is most favorably 
situated for trade, fishing, and commerce ; is blessed with a most 
fertile soil and temperate climate ; has the finest fisheries ; pos- 
sesses the largest, deepest, and safest harbors, and the greatest 
number of navigable rivers and lakes, of any country of the same 
size in the world. According to geologists, Ireland has the largest 
coal-fields in the British Empire ; one extends throughout Clare, 
Kerry, Limerick, and Cork; and another, which is 16 miles long 
and 16 miles broad, lies in Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, and Cavan; 
other coal-fields and mines of less extent are interspersed through 
the island. The richest iron mines ar-e situated at Arigna, in the 
county of Leitrim. The finest copper mines are worked in Wick- 
low, Waterford, and Kerry. Many mines of iron, copper, lead, 
silver, and some veins of gold present themselves. Ireland con- 
tains inexhaustible supplies of peat fuel. Marbles of every shade 
of color are found in Kilkenny, Galway, and Donegal ; and slates 
of the best quality are quarried in Kerry and Limerick. 

The population of Ireland, in 1841, amounted to 8,175,124. 
Ireland contains, besides several large cities, about 140 towns, 
with a population exceeding 9000 inhabitants, with a large num- 
ber of smaller towns. The emigration from Ireland to America is 
immense ; in 20 years (from 1825 to 1845), above 1,256,000 Irish 
emigrated, mostly for the United States. The exports of Ireland, 
in 1837, amounted to $85,000,000 ; and are now estimated at 
$100,000,000 ; which (excepting $20,000,000 worth of linen and 
some copper and lead ores) chiefly consists of provisions. Ire- 
land consumes annually above $60,000,000 worth of British man- 
ufactures. 

Thus, while Ireland is exporting men by thousands, and 
food by millions, one-third of her own soil is lying waste ; her 



SCOTLAND. 191 



mines, collieries, and quarries are unworked ; her immense water 
power is flowing idly ; her ports are empty ; all articles of man- 
ufacture are imported ; the trade of the world is daily passing her 
shores ; 5,000,000 of her people are existing on potatoes, and 
2,500,000 are declared paupers. What an anomaly !" 



CHAPTER XV. 



SCOTLAND, 



" Here's a health, bonny Scotland, to thee !" Bleak and wild 
as thou art, a smile of welcome plays upon thy rugged but comely 
features, to greet the wanderer from afar. 

" Land of the forest and the rock, 
Of dark-blue lake and mighty river 
Of mountains reared aloft, to mock 
The storm's career, the lightning's shock — 
My own green land forever." 

Scotland, once an independent kingdom, nobly defended by the 
stalwart arms of her sons, is now an appendage, or rather a cor- 
porate part, of Great Britain. It is a small country, but possessed 
of very considerable resources. Its surface, for the most part, is 
rough and mountainous, with beautiful patches of rich arable land 
along the courses of its streams, and extensive meadows, called 
carses, as the carse of Falkirk, and the carse of Gowrie. It is of 
unequal breadth, being much indented with bays and creeks, and 
stretches some two hundred and eighty miles in length. Cluster- 
ing around its western and northern coasts are the Hebrides, the 
Shetland and the Orkney Islands — wild and rocky regions, with 
rude and primitive inhabitants. In Scotland, a considerable por- 
tion of the land, especially to the north, is uncultivated, consisting 
of heathy hills, mountains, and moors, covered with heather and 
furze. Other portions of the country are fair and fertile, though 
in many cases made such by the hand of art. Like Switzerland, 
it is a comparatively poor country, but enriched by the generative 
powers of mind. Her wealth consists mainly in the clear heads, 
honest hearts, and brawny arms of her sons. The climate is cold 
and variable, though milder in winter than that of New England, 
and in summer cooler, and upon the whole more agreeable, except 
during the prevalence of dense fogs and long-continued rains. 



192 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



The population, chiefly of the Saxon, though partly of the 
Celtic race, is over two millions and a half, and is gradually in- 
creasing ; though the people, like those of Switzerland and New- 
England, with whom they have many affinities, are greatly given 
to migration, and may be found in every part of the world. Its 
commerce and manufactures are, for its size, very extensive. Agri- 
culture and the mechanic arts have been carried to great perfection. 
The people are inventive and constructive, and some of the most 
beautiful and powerful machinery the world has ever seen has been 
made in Scotland. 

While the people are characteristically cautious and slow, 
" looking before they leap," to quote one of their favorite proverbs, 
they leap long and successfully. Nor are they destitute of a pro- 
found and generous enthusiasm. Ambitious almost to a fault, they 
aspire to the highest distinctions in art, literature, and science. Few 
nations have accomplished more, in all these departments. Their 
literature is the admiration of the civilized world. They have, 
indeed, no Shakspeare, Milton, or Bacon, those first three in their 
peculiar spheres of thought, but they have a Scott, a Burns, and 
a Wilson. Time would fail to enumerate one tithe of the gifted 
sons of Scotland, whose words have awakened heart-echoes, not 
only at home, but far beyond the Atlantic, and even the Pacific 
waves. John Knox and Thomas Chalmers, with a long line of pul- 
pit orators, are hers. Ramsey, Byron, Campbell, Cunningham, 
James Hogg, the " Ettrick Shepherd," William Motherwell, and 
many others "known to fame," adorn her poetic annals. Robert- 
son, Hume, and Alison, among the historians ; Reid, Mcintosh, 
Stewart, Brown, Hamilton, in philosophy ; McKenzie, Brougham, 
Jeffrey, and, though last, not least, Thomas Carlyle, in general 
literature ; Avith Playfair, Ferguson, and Brewster, James Watt, 
and Robert Nichol, in the sphere of science — all these, and many 
more, have made their native land illustrious by their character 
and genius. 

Scotland has a fair share of architectural splendors. Some of 
her palaces and castles are among the most imposing and beauti- 
ful in Great Britain. Glasgow is a finely built city, with some 
magnificent edifices, while Edinburgh is among the most attractive 
cities in the world. 

Her highest distinction, however, consists in the character of 
her people, whose spirit of love and fealty to their native land, of 
reverence for God, and passion for the right, are universally ac- 
knowledged. Obstinate and wrong-headed at times, characteristi- 
cally dogmatic, and perhaps a little intolerant, their very faults 
lean to virtue's side, and go to the support of goodness. Their 



SCOTLAND. 193 



punctiliousness and pride, their dogged adherence to what they 
conceive to be right, and their vehement mode of defending it, 
are the rough and thorny bark which defends the precious tree. 

They are pre-eminently a religious people, with few exceptions, 
Protestant to the back-bone, occasionally rough and impetuous in 
the expression of their opinions, but genial and kindly at heart, 
honest, too, and earnest as their own heathy hills and mountain 
streams. A profound enthusiasm, a passionate, though not cant- 
ing or boisterous devotion, a fine sense of the grand and beautiful, 
mingled with a keen conscientiousness, an ardent love of freedom, 
and a sincere trust in God, form the great elements of their re- 
ligious life. Their theology is chiefly Calvinistic, apparently 
philosophical and dogmatic, but rather less so than popular 
and practical. * Of cathedrals, old and dim, of masses, chants, 
and processions, the pomp and circumstance of a magnificent 
ritual, they have little or none. But of old and glorious memories, 
solemn temples among the woods and hills, hallowed grave-yards, 
blessed sacraments, and national enthusiasm, they have abundance. 
Their religion is a part of the soil. It is indigenous to the coun- 
try. It grew up among the mountains, was nursed by " wizard 
streams," and "led forth" with the voice of psalms, among "the 
green pastures of the wilderness." Somewhat forbidding at first, 
like the rough aspect of the country, it appears equally pictur- 
esque and beautiful, when really known and loved. It is the re- 
ligion not of form, but of substance, of deep inward emotion, not 
of outward pretension and show. Neither is it a sickly senti- 
mentalism which lives on poetic musings, and matures only in 
cloistered shades and moonlight groves ; but it is a healthy, ro- 
bust principle, which goes forth to do and to suffer the will of 
Heaven. Its head and heart are sound, and its works praise it in 
the gate. Beautiful as the visions of fancy, it is yet strong as the 
everlasting hills among which it was reared. In a word, it is the 
religion of faith and love, the religion of the old Puritans, of the 
martyrs and confessors of primitive times. Welling out forever 
from the unstained fountains of the Word of God, it has marked 
its course over the fair face of Scotland, with the greenest verdure, 
the sweetest flowers. 

Scotland is naturally divided into Highlands and Lowlands. 
The former includes, besides the various groups of islands on the 
north and northwest coast, the counties of Argyle, Inverness, 
Nairn, Ross, Cromarty, Sutherland, and Caithness, with portions 

* Much of this and what follows is condensed from the author's " Genius 
of Scotland," to -which he would invite the attention of his readers for a 
more extended account of the scenery, literature, and religion of Scotland. 

9 



194 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



of Dumbarton, Stirling, Perth, Forfar, " Aberdeen awa'," Banff 
and Elgin, or the more northerly regions of the country, protected 
and beautified by the mighty range of the Grampians, com- 
mencing at the southern extremity of Loch Etive, and terminating 
at the mouth of the Dee on the eastern coast. The Highlands, 
again, are divided into two unequal portions by the beautiful chain 
of lochs, or lakes, running through the Glenmore-Nan-Albin, or 
Great Glen of Caledonia, forming some of the wildest and richest 
scenery in the world. To the north are the giant mountains of 
Macdui, Cairngorm, Ben-Aven and Ben-More, while nearer the 
Lowlands, rise the lofty Ben-Lomond, and the hoary Ben- Awe. 
Under their shadows gleam the storied lochs, the wild tarns and 
trosachs, whose picturesque and romantic beauties have been im- 
mortalized by the pens of Burns, Scott, and Wilson. 

To the south and east of the Grampian range, and running 
parallel to them, you discover a chain of lower and more verdant 
hills, bearing the well-known and poetical names of the Sidlaw, 
Campsie, and Ochil hills. These are divided by the fertile valleys 
of the Tay and Forth. Between them and the Grampians lies the 
low and charming valley of Strathmore. The " silver Tay," one 
of the finest fivers in Scotland, rises in Breadalbane, expands into 
Lake Dochart, flows in an easterly direction through the vale of 
Glendochart, expands again into the long and beautiful Loch Tay, 
which runs like a belt of silver among the hills, whence issuing, 
it receives various accessions from other streams, passes on in a 
southerly direction to Dunkeld, famous for its ancient abbey and 
lovely scenery, skirts the ancient and delightful city of Perth, be- 
low which it is joined by its great tributary the Earn, which flows, 
in serpentine windings, through the rich vale of Strath-Earn, 
touches the populous and thriving town of Dundee, and gradually 
widens into the Firth of Tay, whose clear waters mirror the white 
skiff or magnificent steamer, and imperceptibly mingle with the 
waves of the Northern Sea. Further north, the rapid Spey, 
springing from the " braes of Badenoch" near Lochaber, passes tu- 
multuously through a rough and mountainous country, lingering oc- 
casionally, as if to rest itself in some deep glen, crosses the ancient 
province of Moray, famous for its floods, passess Kinrara, "whence, 
for a few miles, it is attended by a series of landscapes, alike vari- 
ous, singular, and magnificent," after which it moves, with a mo- 
notonous aspect and a steady pace, to the sea. Portions of the 
country through which this river passes are exceedingly sterile and 
wild. Covered with the birch, the alder, and the pine, varied by 
rugged rocks and desolate moors, it admirably corresponds to 
our notions of Caledonia, in her ancient and primitive integrity. 



SCOTLAND. 195 



In the more remote and northern regions of the Highlands, and 
in most of the Scottish isles, the Gaelic, or Erse, a primitive and 
energetic tongue, somewhat akin to the Welsh or Irish, is spoken 
by a majority of the inhabitants. In other parts of Scotland, the 
English, with a Scottish idiom, is the prevalent speech. The 
literature of the Gaelic is exceedingly limited, confined chiefly to 
old ballads, songs, and traditionary stories. The poems of Ossian 
are doubtless the production of Macpherson, their professed trans- 
lator, while they probably contain a few translated fragments, and 
some traditionary facts and conceptions afloat among the High- 
landers, ingeniously interwoven with the main fabric of the work. 

The Highlanders are a simple-hearted, primitive race, mostly 
poor, and imperfectly educated. Those of them that are wealthy 
and well educated are said to be remarkably acute, courteous, 
and agreeable. They are clannish and patriotic. 

The Lowlands of Scotland comprehend the south and south- 
eastern portions of the country, and though not the grandest and 
most romantic, are by far the best cultivated, and in some re- 
spects the most beautiful. Including the level ground on the 
eastern coast to the south of the Moray Firth, they stretch along 
the coast through portions of Perthshire, and the old kingdom of 
Fife, toward the regions bounded on either side by the river and 
the Firth of Forth, and thence to Kircudbright and the English 
border, including the principal cities, the most fertile tracts of 
arable land, the rivers Forth, Clyde, and Tweed, and the range of 
the Cheviot hills, which extend from the north of England toward 
the northwest, join the Louther hills in the region of Ettrick and 
Yarrow, with their "silver streams," pass through the southern 
part of Ayrshire, and terminate at Loch Ryan, in the Irish Channel. 
The Clyde is the most important commercial river in Scotland. 
Taking its origin among the mountains oi the south, not far from 
the early home of its beautiful and more classic sisters, the Tweed 
and the Annan, it runs in many capricious windings, in a north- 
westerly direction, leaps in foaming cascades first at Bonnington, 
and then at Cora Linn, rushes on through the fine country of 
Lanarkshire, till, joined by many tributary streams, it passes 
through the large and flourishing city of Glasgow, bearing upon 
its bosom the vast commerce and population of the neighboring 
regions, flows around the walls of old Dumbarton Castle, with its 
time-worn battlements and glorious memories, in sight, too, of the 
lofty Ben Lomond, and the beautiful lake which it protects, touches 
the ancient city of Greenock, expands into the Firth of Clyde, and 
gradually loses itself amid the picturesque islands which adorn the 
western coast of Scotland. 



196 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



Were it possible, by placing ourselves upon some lofty elevation, 
to take in at one glance the whole of this varied landscape of lake, 
river, and mountain, of tarn, trosach, and moor, with verdant vales 
and woody slopes between, we should confess that it was one of 
as rare beauty and wild magnificence. as ever greeted the vision of 
man. And were our minds steeped in ancient and poetic lore, we 
should be prepared to appreciate the faithfulness and splendor of 
Burns's allegorical description of the " Genius of Scotland :" 

" Green, slender, leaf-clad holly boughs, 
Were twisted gracefu' round her brows ; 
I took her for some Scottish Muse, 

By that same token, 
And come to stop those reckless vows 

Would soon be broken. 

A hair-brained sentimental trace 
Was strongly marked in her face : 
A wildly-witty rustic grace 

Shone full upon her, 
Her eye e'en turned on empty space, 

Beamed keen with honor. 

Her mantle large, of greenish hue, 

My gazing wonder chiefly drew, 

Deep lights and shadows mingling, threw 

A luster grand ; 
And seemed, to my astonished view, 

A well-known land! 

Here rivers in the sea were lost ; 
There mountains in the skies were tost ; 
Here tumbling billows marked the coast, 

With surging foam; 
There distant shone Art's lofty boast, 

The lordly dome. 

By stately tower or palace fair, 

Or ruins pendent in the air, 

Bold stems of heroes here and there 

I could discern ; 
Some seemed to muse, some seemed to dare 

With feature stern." 

Now, imagine the whole of this country studded at no remote 
intervals with churches and schools, well supported, and well at- 
tended by young and old. Think of her ancient and able univer- 
sities, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrew's, and Aberdeen, including 
in the last Marischal College and King's College, with an average 
attendance of from 2500 to 3000 students, with their learned and 



SCOTLAND. 197 



amiable professors, extensive libraries, and fine collections in nat- 
ural history : think of her innumerable high-schools, private 
schools, public and private libraries, literary institutes and ancient 
hospitals, some for the body and some for the mind, and connect 
the whole with her heroic history, her poetical enthusiasm, her 
religious faith, her fealty to God and man, and you will have some 
faint conception of the beauty and glory of Scotland. 

But the impression would be deepened, could you behold the 
land, beautified and ennobled by her Sabbath calm, as once in 
seven days she rests and worships before the Lord. Could you 
but hear the voice of her church-going bells, and go to the house 
of God in company with her thoughtful but cheerful population ; 
could you sit in some " auld warld" kirk, and hear some gray- 
haired holy man dispense, with deep and tender tones, the word 
of everlasting life ; could you hear a whole congregation of devout 
worshipers make the hills ring again with their simple melody ; 
above all, could you place yourself in some deep shady glen, by 
the " sweet burnie" as it " wimples" among the waving willows or 
the yellow broom, or sit down on the green " brae-side," enameled 
with "gowans," on some sacramental occasion, when thousands 
are gathered to hear the preaching of the Gospel, and with simple 
ritual to commemorate the dying love of the Redeemer ! — could 
you see the devout and happy looks of the aged, and the sweet 
but reverent aspect of children and youth, as the tones of some 
earnest preacher thrilled them with emotions of holy gi - atitude in 
view of the " loving-kindness of the Lord," you would instinctively 
feel that Scotland, free, Protestant Scotland, was a happy land, 
and would be prepared to exclaim with the sweet singer of Israel : 
" Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound : they shall 
walk, Lord, in the light of thy countenance." 

Or you might leave this scene, and study the Scottish character 
with some shepherd-boy on the hills, as he reads God's word 
upon the green- sward, and meditates on things divine while 
tending his flocks, far from the house of God, on the Sabbath- 
day. 

While in Scotland we have " Tam O'Shanter" and " Souter 
Johnny," and other " rattling, roaring" characters ; while the 
"skirl" of the bagpipes keeps tune to the wild dance of the High- 
land peasant, and many a tavern reeks with the fumes of whisky- 
punch ; while here and there, as in other lands, folly and vice 
reveal themselves in " highways and by-ways," we have also the 
universal presence of good and virtuous influences, of good and 
virtuous men. Innocent hilarity is mingled with good sense and 
piety. 



198 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 




Highland Scene. 



The scenes of " The Cotter's Saturday Night," one of the 
sweetest poems in any language, are exact transcripts from real 
life, as Burns himself intimates. His father was " a godly man," 
and was wont, morning and evening, to " turn o'er, wi' patriarchal 
grace, the big ha' Bible," and worship God, with his family. 

" The cheerfu' supper done, wi' serious face, 
They round the ingle form a circle wide ; 
The sire turns o'er wi' patriarchal grace 

The big ha' Bible, ance his father's pride : 
His bonnet reverently is laid aside, 

His lyart haffets* wearing thin and bare : 
Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide, 
He wales a portion with judicious care ; 
And ' Let us worship God !' he says, with solemn air. 

They chant their artless notes in simple guise, 
They tune their hearts, by far their noblest aim ; 



* Withered cheeks. 



SCOTLAND. 199 



Perhaps Dundee's, wild warbling measures rise, 

Or plaintive Martyrs worthy of the name, 
Or noble Elgin beets* the heavenward flame, 

The sweetest far of Scotia's holy lays. 
Compared with these Italian trills are tame ; 

The tickled ears no heartfelt raptures raise, 
Nae unison hae they with our Creator's praise. 

* ' # * * 

Then kneeling down to Heaven's eternal King, 

The saint, the father, and the husband prays, 
Hope springs exulting on triumphant wing, 

That thus they all shall meet in future days : 
There ever bask in uncreated rays, 

No more to sigh or shed the bitter tear, 
Together hymning their Creator's praise, 

In such society, yet still more dear ; 
While circling time moves round in an eternal sphere. 

Compared with this how poor religion's pride, 

In all the pomp of method and of art, 
When men display to congregations wide, 

Devotion's every grace, except the heart! 
The Power incensed the pageant will desert, 

The pompous strain, the sacerdotal stole ; 
But haply, in some cottage far apart, 

May hear well pleased the language of the soul, 
And in His book of life the inmates poor enroll." 

These are the elements of a people's greatness. These are the 
perennial sources of their truth and loyalty, their freedom and 
virtue. These guard the domestic graces, these bind the com- 
monwealth in holy and enduring bands. Better than splendid 
mausoleums and gorgeous temples ; better than costly altars and 
a pompous ritual ; better than organ-blasts and rolling incense ; 
better, by far, than mass and breviary, confessional and priestly 
absohition ! For, while the most imposing forms of religion are 
often heartless and dead, these sacred rites of a Christianity pure 
and practical ever possess a vital power — a power to quicken 
and save. 

" From scenes like these auld Scotia's grandeur springs, 
That makes her loved at home, revered abroad ; 
Princes and lords are but the breath of kings, 
' An honest man's the noblest work of God.' 



Scotia ! my dear, my native soil ! 

For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sent, 

* Guides, or fans. 



200 



THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil 

Be blest with health, and peace, and sweet content ! 

And, oh, may Heaven their simple lives prevent 
From luxury's contagion, weak and vile ! 

Then, howe'er crowns and coronets be rent, 
A virtuous populace may rise the while, 
And stand a wall of fire around their much-loved isle." 

As we feel a peculiar interest in Scotland, an interest shared, 
we believe, by many of our readers, we shall be forgiven if we 
linger upon it a little longer. Our readers, then, will be good 
enough to accompany us on a brief tour to its two principal cities, 
Edinburgh and Glasgow. 




Edinburgh Castie. 

Before us lies " Auld Reekie," as its ancient citizens used fondly 
and familiarly to call it, the far-famed and beautiful " Athens of 
the North." We will enter the city on the west side, as if we 
were coming from Glasgow, pass through Prince's-street, with its 
elegant buildings and fine promenades, skirting that inclosure of 
walks and shrubbery just under the frowning battlements of the 



SCOTLAND. 201 



Castle, and adorned with the superb statue of Sir Walter Scott, 
rising rapidly to its completion ; then turn the corner at right 
angles, cross the North Bridge, enter High-street, and thence 
plunge down the hill into the old Canongate ; and without waiting 
to look at " the Heart of Midlothian," or even the beautiful ruins 
of Holyrood House, at the foot of the hill, let us turn to the right 
and climb the rocky sides of "Arthur's Seat," with its summit of 
verdure overlooking the city and the neighboring country. For 
there, the whole panorama of the city will spread itself before us, 
surrounded with magnificent scenery, stretching far and wide from 
the Pentland Hills on the one side to the Firth of Forth on the 
other, from Stirling Castle on the west to the German Ocean on 
the east. Here we are, then, on the very highest point of the 
mountain, with the warm sunshine around us, tempered by the 
fresh " westlin wind," at once so sweet" and bland. Ay, ay ! 
this is beautiful ! What a landscape ! How varied, and yet how 
harmonious ! Not only beautiful exceedingly, but grand and 
striking. Beneath us is the fine old city — new and old at the 
same time — lying nearly square, with its lofty buildings and ele- 
gant monuments, handsome parks and green shrubberies. To 
the left is the older part of the city, rising gradually from the 
palace of Holyrood at our feet and crowned by the Castle, which 
is built upon a granite rock, whose rough sides, terminating ab- 
ruptly to the north and west, hang over Prince's-street and the 
lower part of the city. 

" There watching high the least alarms, 

Thy rough rude fortress gleams afar ; 
Like some bold veteran gray in arms, 

And pierced with many a seamy scar : 
Thy ponderous wall and massy bar, 

Grim rising o'er the rugged rock, 
Have oft withstood assailing war, 

And oft repelled the invader's shock." — Burns. 

Before us, and stretching away toward the Forth and the city 
of Leith, is " the new town," surmounted on this side by the Calton 
Hill, on which stand the monuments of Dugald Stewart and Ad- 
miral Nelson, the unfinished Parthenon, and the monument of 
Robert Burns — beautiful and imposing objects, reminding us of 
the Acropolis of Athens, and affording fine relief to the long l-anges 
of smooth and polished buildings beyond. Behind us are the 
Pentland Hills, with their verdant slopes and historic recollections. 
To the right lie the city and bay of Leith, " the Pirasus" of Edin- 
burgh, the long winding shore in the direction of Portobello, and 
" the dark blue deep" of the ocean, studded with white sails, 

9* 



202 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



glistening in the summer radiance. To the north, at a distance of 
a few miles, you see the majestic Firth of Forth, and beyond, " in 
cultured beauty," the " Kingdom of Fife," with the distant range 
of the Ochil and Campsie Hills. From this point also you can 
see, at a distance of some three miles, the gray ruins of Craig- 
millar Castle, famous in the annals of Scotland as the residence of 
Queen Mary, and the scene of those secret machinations which 
ended in the tragedy of Holyrood ; Inch Keith, with its lofty light- 
house ; the Isle of May, once consecrated to St. Adrian, and on 
which stands another "star of hope" to the mariner; and old 
Inchcolm, famous for its ancient convent founded by St. Colomba, 
one of the patron saints of Scotland. How gloriously light and 
shade, land and ocean, park and woodland, old castles and hoary 
ruins, frowning rocks and smiling meadows, mingle and blend in 
this rare and magnificent landscape ! 

" Traced like a map the landscape lies, 
In cultur'd beauty stretching wide ; 

There Pentland's green acclivities, 
There ocean, with its azure tide ; 

There Authur's Seat, and gleaming through 

Thy southern wing, Dun Edin blue ! 

While in the orient, hammer's daughters, 
A distant giant range are seen, 
North Berwick Law, with cone of green, 

And Bass amid the waters.'' — Delta.* 

Here you can easily understand the reason why Edinburgh has 
been thought to resemble the city of Athens. Mr. Stuart, author 
of the " Antiquities of Athens," was the first to call attention to 
this fact, and his opinion has often been confirmed since. Dr. 
Clarke remarks that the neighborhood of Athens is just the High- 
lands of Scotland, enriched with the splendid remains of art. 
Another acute observer states that the distant view of Athens from 
the ^Egean Sea is extremely like that of Edinburgh from the Firth 
of Forth, "though," he adds, " certainly the latter is considerably 
superior." " The resemblance," says J. G. Kohl, the celebrated 
German traveler, " is indeed very striking. Athens, like Edin- 
burgh, was a city of hills and valleys, and its Ilissus was probably 
not much larger than the Water of Leith. Athens, like Edin- 
burgh, was an inland town, and had its harbor, Pirseus, on the 
sea-coast. The mountains near Edinburgh very much resemble 
those near Athens. I have little doubt, however, that Athens is 
more honored by being compared to Edinburgh, than Edinburgh 



* Supposed to be Dr. Moir. 



SCOTLAND. 203 



to Athens ; for it is probable that the scenery and position of the 
Northern are more grand and striking in their beauty than those 
of the Southern Athens." 

Let us now descend into the city. We will not linger long in 
old Holyrood Palace, interesting as it is, nor dwell upon " the 
stains" of Rizzio's blood in Queen Mary's room, as these have 
been described a thousand times, and are familiar to every one. 
Neither will we spend time in gazing upon the spot where once 
stood that quaint old jail, called " the Heart of Midlothian," made 
classic by the pen of Scott, in the beautiful story of Jeanie Deans. 
Neither will we visit the old "Parliament House" and the "Ad- 
vocates' Library ;" but we will pass right up through High-street, 
amid those colossal buildings, rising, on either side, to the night of 
six, seven, and even eight and ten stories, swarming with inhabit- 
ants ; and dive into one or two of those close, dark wynds, where 
reside, in countless multitudes, the poorest and most vicious of the 
people. Here, it must be confessed, are some strange sights and 
appalling noises. Yet it is not quite so bad as some have repre- 
sented it. All large cities have their poor and vicious inhabitants, 
and although those of the Scottish metropolis are tolerably dirty 
and vastly degraded, they bear no comparison to the lazaroni of 
Naples and the beggars of Rome. Some of the streets and wynds 
are narrow enough and vile enough, but they contain, after all, 
many worthy people, who own a Bible, and read it, too ; and were 
you only to become thoroughly acquainted Avith them, you would 
be surprised to find how much of honesty and kindly affection 
still dwell in their hearts. In ancient times the houses in these 
very " closes" or " wynds" were inhabited by the nobility and 
gentry. Hence Gray's Close, Morrison's Close, Stewart's Close, 
&c. They built their houses in these narrow streets in order 
to be more secure from the attacks of their enemies, and to be 
the better able to defend the principal thoroughfares into which 
they opened. In Blythe's Close may be seen the remains of the 
palace of the queen-regent, Mary of Guise. In another stand 
the old houses of the Earls of Gosford and Moray. One of the 
largest old palaces is now inhabited by beggars and rats. 

It would be a great improvement if these miserable dwellings 
could be removed, and replaced by better streets and houses ; a 
still greater one, if the people could only be induced to abandon 
the use of whisky, for then they would abandon their hovels as 
a matter of course. Their besetting sin is the love of strong drink, 
though this has been gradually diminishing for the last few years 
throughout Scotland. It is to be hoped that the pious and moral 
portion of the community will unite in a strong effort to reclaim 



204 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



this degraded class of their fellow-townsmen, and that the time 
will speedily come when the only reproach which rests upon their 
fair fame shall be wholly obliterated. 

But let us leave this region, the only unpleasant one in the 
whole of this fair city, and ascend to the old Castle, where we 
shall see the Regalia of Scotland, preserved in a little room at the 
top of the Castle. These regalia consist of the crown of Robert 
Bruce, the hero of Bannockburn, the scepter of James the Fifth, a 
sword presented by Pope Julius the Second to James the Sixth, 
and other articles of inferior note. It is somewhat singular that 
the regalia should have lain concealed from 1745 to the year 
1818. At the time of the Union in 1707 between England and 
Scotland, they were walled up by some Scottish patriots, in order 
to prevent their being removed to London. 

What recollections of the stormy but glorious history of Scot- 
land cluster around the mind, while gazing at that antique-looking 
crown which adorned the head of the Bruces and the ill-fated 
Mary ! The freedom and prosperity now enjoyed by the nation 
had a gloomy and tempestuous birth. Their very religion, placid 
and beautiful now, was cradled amid the war of elements and the 
shock of battle. But, thanks to God, it is all the purer and 
stronger for its rough and tempestuous youth. 

Draw near to the edge of that battlement, and look down over 
the frowning rock. Would it be possible, think you, to storm the 
Castle from that side ? One would suppose it beyond the power 
of man. It has been done, however, and the circumstance illus- 
trates the spirit of hardihood and enterprise which has ever dis- 
tinguished the people of Scotland. In the year 1313, when the 
Castle was in the possession of the English, Randolph, earl of 
Moray, was one day surveying the gigantic rock, when he was 
accosted by one of his men-at-arms with the question, " Do you 
think it impracticable, my lord ?" Randolph turned his eyes upon 
the speaker, a man a little past the prime of life, but of a firm, 
well-knit figure, and bearing in his keen eye and open forehead 
marks of intrepidity which had already gained him distinction in 
the Scottish army. " Do you mean the rock, Francis ?" said the 
earl : " perhaps not, if we could borrow the wings of our gallant 
hawks." 

" There are wings," replied Francis, with a thoughtful smile, 
" as strong, as buoyant, and as daring. My father was keeper of 
yonder fortress." 

" What of that ? You speak in riddles." 

" I was then young, reckless, high-hearted : I was screwed up in 
that convent-like castle ; my sweetheart was in the plain below" — 



SCOTLAND. 205 



" Well, what then ?" 

" 'Sdeath, my lord, can you not imagine that I speak of the 
wings of love ? Every night I descended that steep at the witch- 
ing hour, and every morning before the dawn I crept back to my 
barracks. I constructed a light twelve-foot ladder, by means of 
which I was able to pass the places that are perpendicular ; and 
so well, at length, did I become acquainted with the route, that 
in the darkest and stormiest night, I found my way as easily as 
when the moonlight enabled me to see my love in the distance 
waiting for me at the cottage door." 

" You are a daring, desperate, noble fellow, Francis ! However, 
your motive is now gone ; your mistress" — 

" She is dead ; say no more ; but another has taken her place." 

" Ay, ay, it's the soldier's way. Women will die, or even 
grow old ; and what are we to do ? Come, who is your mistress 
now ?" 

" My Country ! What I have done for love, I can do again 
for honor ; and what I can accomplish, you, noble Randolph, and 
many of our comrades, can do far better. Give me thirty picked 
men, and a twelve-foot ladder, and the fortress is our own!" 

" The Earl of Moray, whatever his real thoughts of the enter- 
prise might have been, was not the man to refuse such a chal- 
lenge. A ladder was provided, and thirty men chosen from the 
troops ; and in the middle of a dark night, the party, commanded 
by Randolph himself, and guided by William Francis, set forth on 
their desperate enterprise. 

By catching at crag after crag, and digging their fingers into 
the interstices of the rocks, they succeeded in mounting a consid- 
erable way ; but the weather was now so thick, they could re- 
ceive but little assistance from their eyes ; and thus they continued 
to climb, almost in utter darkness, like men struggling up a preci- 
pice in the nightmare. They at length reached a shelving table 
of the cliff, above which the ascent, for ten or twelve feet, was 
perpendicular ; and having fixed their ladder, the whole party lay 
down to recover breath. . 

From this place they could hear the tread and voices of the 
' check watches,' or patrol, above ; and, surrounded by the perils 
of such a moment, it is not wonderful that some illusions may have 
mingled with their thoughts. They even imagined that they were 
seen from the battlements, although, being themselves unable to 
see the warders, this was highly improbable. It became evident, 
notwithstanding, from the words they caught here and there in the 
pauses of the night-wind, that the conversation of the English sol- 
diers above related to a surprise of the Castle ; and at length 



206 THE WOULD WE LIVE IN. 



these appalling words broke like thunder on their ears : ' Stand ! 
I see you well !' A fragment of the rock was hurled down at the 
same instant ; and, as rushing from crag to crag, it bounded over 
their heads, Randolph and his brave followers, in this wild, help- 
less, and extraordinary situation, felt the damp of mortal terror 
gathering upon their brow, as they clung, with a death-grip to 
the precipice. 

The startled echoes of the rock were at length silent, and so 
were the voices above. The adventurers paused, listening breath- 
less ; no sound was heard but the sighing of the wind, and the 
measured tread of the sentinel who had resumed his walk. The 
men thought they were in a dream, and no wonder ; for the inci- 
dent just mentioned, which is related by Barbour, was one of the 
most singular coincidences that ever occurred. The shout of the 
sentinel and the missile he had thrown, were merely a boyish 
freak ; and while listening to the echoes of the rock, he had not 
the smallest idea that the sounds which gave pleasure to him car- 
ried terror and almost despair into the hearts of the enemy. 

The adventurers, half-uncertain whether they were not the 
victims of some illusion, determined that it was as safe to go on 
as to turn back ; and pursuing their laborious and dangerous path, 
they at length reached the- bottom of the wall. This last barrier 
they scaled by means of their ladder ; and leaping down among 
the astonished check- watches, they cried their war-cry, and in the 
midst of answering shouts of ' Treason ! treason ['notwithstanding 
the desperate resistance of the garrison, captured the Castle of 
Edinburgh." 

Sit down here on the edge of this parapet. That huge cannon 
there is called Mons Meg, from being cast at Mons, in Flanders, 
and reminds us, somewhat significantly, of the terrible use to 
which all the arrangements of the castle are applied.* How sin- 
gular, that men have to be governed and controlled like bull-dogs, 
that castles and dungeons, halters, and cannon, are necessary to 
keep them from stealing each other's property, or cutting each 
other's throats ! Surely mankind have ills enough to bear without 
turning upon each other like tigers. 

" Many and sharp the numerous ills, 
Inwoven with our frame ! 
More pointed still we make ourselves, 
Regret, remorse, and shame ; 



* At present it is used as a barracks for soldiers and a magazine of 
arms. 



SCOTLAND. 20 7 



And man, whose heaven-erected face 

The smiles of love adorn, 
Man's inhumanity to man 

Makes countless thousands mourn." 

Burns. 

But all is quiet now. The tendency of the times is to peace ; and 
Edinburgh Castle, Mons Meg, and the whole array of cannon 
bristling over the precipice, are but objects of natural curiosity or 
of poetical interest. 

Do you see yonder turreted building, with high-pointed gables 
and castellated walls, in the Elizabethan style, just beyond the 
Grass Market? That is George Heriot's Hospital, one of the 
proudest monuments of the city, and one of the most beautiful 
symbols of its peaceful prosperity. It was founded by the rich 
and benevolent George Heriot, jeweler to King James the Sixth, 
"Jingling Geordie," as he is quaintly termed in the " Fortunes of 
Nigel." It is of vast extent, as you perceive, and presents a good 
specimen of the mixed style of architecture prevalent in the days 
of Queen Mary. The object of this noble institution is the main- 
tenance and education of poor and fatherless boys, or of boys in 
indigent circumstances, " freemen's sons of the town of Edin- 
burgh." Of these, one hundred and eighty receive ample board 
and education within its walls. By this means they are thoroughly 
prepared for the active business of life, each receiving at bis dis- 
missal a Bible, and other useful books, with two suits of clothes 
chosen by himself. Those going out as apprentices are allowed 
$50 per annum for five years, and $25 at the termination of their 
apprenticeship. Boys of superior scholarship are permitted to 
stay longer in the institution, and are fitted for college. For this 
purpose they receive $150 per annum, for four years. Connected 
with this institution are seven free-schools, in the different parishes 
of the city, for the support of which its surplus funds are applied. 
In these upward of two thousand children receive a good com- 
mon-school education. The girls, in addition to the ordinary 
branches, are taught knitting and sewing. 

In addition to these provisions for the education of the poor, 
there are also ten " bursaries," or university scholarships, open to 
the competition of young men, not connected with the institution. 
The successful candidates receive $100 per annum for four years. 
No wonder that Sir Walter Scott felt authorized to put into the 
mouth of the princely founder of these charities the striking sen- 
timent : "I think mine own estate and memory, as I shall order 
it, has a fair chance of outliving those of greater men." 

Edinburgh abounds in charitable hospitals, and particularly in 



208 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



free educational institutions, in the support of which the citizens 
evince a laudable enthusiasm. 

Below us, on one side of High-street, you see the fine old Gothic 
Cathedral of St. Giles. It was founded in the twelfth or thirteenth 
century, and named after St. Giles, abbot and confessor, and tu- 
telar saint of Edinburgh in the olden time. The Scottish poet, 
Gavin Douglas, bishop of Dunkeld, was some time provost of St. 
Giles. He translated Virgil into English, the first version of a 
classic ever made in Britain, and was the author of " The Palace 
of Honor," from which some have absurdly supposed that John 
Bunyan borrowed the idea of the " Pilgrim's Progress." This 
edifice is interesting, chiefly as connecting the past with the pres- 
ent condition of Scotland, and indicating the mighty transitions 
through which it has passed. In the fifteenth century, incense 
ascended from forty different altars within its walls ; now it con- 
tains three Protestant places of worship. Once it enshrined the 
relics of St. Giles ; now its cemetery contains the body of John 
Knox! On the 13th of October, 1643, "the solemn League and 
Covenant" was sworn to and subscribed within its walls, by the 
Committee of the Estates of Parliament, the Commission of the 
Church, and the English Commission. The sacred vessels and 
relics which it contained, including the arm-bone of the patron 
saint, were seized by the magistrates of the city, and the proceeds 
of their sale applied to the repairing of the building. Puritanism 
has thus often showed itself a rough and tempestuous reformer; 
nevertheless, it possesses wonderful vitality, and has conferred 
upon Scotland the blessings of civil and religious liberty. Its 
outer form is often hard and defective, and its movements irregu- 
lar and convulsive, but its inner spirit is ever generous and free. 
Its rudeness and excess none will approve ; its life, energy, and 
activity all will admire. It came forth, like a thunder-cloud, from 
the mountains. Its quick lightning-flashes Avent crashing amid 
the old images of superstition. The atmosphere of spiritual pol- 
lution was agitated and purified. Upon the parched ground fell 
gentle and refreshing showers. The sun of freedom began to 
smile upon hill and valley, and the whole land rejoiced under its 
placid influence. 

We will now re-enter High-street, and thence turn at right 
angles into South Bridge : street, and proceed to the University. 
It is a large and imposing structure, but fails to produce its proper 
impression, from the circumstance of being wedged in among such 
a mass of other buildings. We enter by a magnificent portico on 
the right, supported by Doric columns twenty-six feet in hight, 
each formed of a single block of stone, and find o\irselves in a 



SCOTLAND. 209 



spacious quadrangular court, surrounded by the various college 
edifices. The buildings are of freestone, beautifully polished, 
and of recent erection, the old buildings, which were unsightly 
and incommodious, having been taken down to make way for this 
eleo-ant and spacious structure. The University itself was founded 
by King James the Sixth, in the year 1582, and has enjoyed un- 
interrupted prosperity to the present time. The average number 
of students is from ten to twelve hundred. The Rev. Dr. Lee, 
one of the most amiable and learned men, is at present principal 
of the University, and the various chairs are filled by gentlemen 
of distinguished talent. The students are not resident within the 
college, but choose their boarding-houses at pleasure in any part 
of the city. They are not distinguished, as at Glasgow and Ox- 
ford, by any peculiar badge, are of all ages, and enjoy the liberty 
of selecting the classes which they attend. Those, however, who 
take degrees are required to attend a particular course, but this is 
not done by more than one-half, or at most two-thirds of the stu- 
dents. The government of the University is not particularly 
strict. The examinations are limited and imperfect ; and hence it 
is very possible for a young man to slip through the University 
without contracting any great tincture of scholarship. It is mainly 
the talent of the professors, and the high literary enthusiasm they 
inspire, which sustain the institution. There are thirty- four foun- 
dations for bursaries or scholarships, the benefit of which is ex- 
tended to eighty students. The aggregate amount is about fifty 
dollars a year for each. The annual session lasts from October to 
May, with an occasional holiday, and a week or two's vacation at 
Christmas. The rest of the year, which includes most of the 
summer and autumn, is vacation, which gives the professors an 
opportunity for rest and preparation, and the students facilities 
either for private study, or for teaching and other employments. 
This order prevails in all the other Scottish universities, and is 
attended with many advantages. But a truce to general remarks. 
We have not time to visit the Museum, which is quite extensive 
and admirably arranged, nor the Library, which is distinguished 
by its ample dimensions and beautiful decorations. Neither can 
we dwell upon the celebrated men who have encircled this insti- 
tution with a halo of literary and scientific glory. But we will 
step into that door in front of us, ascend the stairs, and enter the 
lecture-room of Professor Wilson, the far-famed " Christopher 
North," poet and novelist, orator, critic, and philosopher. The 
young gentlemen have assembled, but the Professor has not yet 
come in. Good-looking, but noisy fellows, these ! Some of them, 
you perceive, are very young, others are considerably advanced 



210 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



in years. Most of them are well dressed, some poorly so. A 
few look studious and care-worn, but the majority hearty and 
joyous. How their clear, loud laugh rings through the hall ! 
They are from all ranks of society, some being the sons of noble- 
men, others of farmers and mechanics. Most of tbem, probably, 
have wherewithal to pay their college expenses, but not a few, 
you may rely on it, are sorely pinched. The Scots are an ambi- 
tious, study-loving race, and quite a number of these young men 
are struggling vip from tbe depths of poverty, and, if they do not 
die in the effort, will be heard of one of these days, in the pulpit 
or at the bar. 

But there comes the Professor, bowing graciously to the stu- 
dents, while he receives from them a hearty " ruff," as the Scots 
call their energetic stamping. What a magnificent-looking man ! 
Over six feet high, broad and brawny, but of elegant proportions, 
with a clear, frank, joyous-looking face, a few wrinkles only around 
the eye, in other respects hale and smooth, his fine locks sprinkled 
with gray, flowing down to his shoulders, and his large lustrous 
eye beaming with a softened fire. His subject is "the Passions." 
He commences with freedom and ease, but without any particular 
energy, makes his distinctions well, but without much precision or 
force ; for, to tell the honest truth, philosophical analysis is not 
his particular forte: Still it is good, so far as it goes, and prob- 
ably appears inferior chiefly by contrast. But he begins to de- 
scribe. The blood mantles to his .forehead, thrown back with a 
majestic energy, and his fine eye glows, nay, absolutely burns. 
And now his impassioned intellect careers as on the wings of the 
wind, leaping, bounding, dashing, whirling over hill and dale, rises 
into the clear empyrean, and bathes itself in the beams of the sun. 
His audience is intent, hushed, absorbed, rapt ! He begins, how- 
ever, to descend, and 0, how beautifully ! like a falcon from " the 
lift," or an eagle from the storm-cloud. And now he skims along 
the surface with bird-like wing, glancing in the sunlight, swiftly 
and gracefully. How varied and delicate his language, how pro- 
fuse his images, his allusions' how affecting, and his voice ringing 
like a bell among the mountains ! At such seasons his style, man- 
ner, and tone are unequaled. Chaste and exhilarating as the dew 
of the morning in the vale of Strathmore, yet rich and rare as a 
golden sunset on the brow of Benlomond. But listen : he returns 
to his philosophical distinctions — fair, very fair, to be sure, but 
nothing special, rather clumsy, perhaps, except in regard to his 
language. True, undoubtedly, but not profound, not deeply 
philosophical, and to some not particularly interesting. His 
auditors have time to breathe. You hear an occasional cough, 



SCOTLAND. 211 



or blowing of the nose. A few of the students are diligently- 
taking notes, but the rest are listless. This will last only a mo- 
ment, and now that he is approaching the close of his lecture, he 
will give us something worth hearing. There, again he is out 
upon the open sea. How finely the sails are set, and with what 
a majestic sweep the noble vessel rounds the promontory, and 
anchors itself in the bay ! 

Taking the steam-cars from Edinburgh, we arrive at Glasgow, 
a distance of forty-four miles, in a couple of hours. As Edinburgh 
is the representative of Scottish literature and refinement, Glas- 
gow is the representative of its commerce and manufactures. It 
is an immense city, and contains a prodigious number of inhabit- 
ants. At the period of the Union it had a population of only 
12,000, since which time it has doubled this number twelve or 
thirteen times, and now contains nearly 300,000 inhabitants. It 
owes this unprecedented increase to its trade, domestic and for- 
eign, which is almost unparalleled in its extent. There is probably 
not a single inland town in Great Britain, with the exception of 
London, which can show such a shipping list. 

Glasgow has ever been distinguished for its mechanical ingenu- 
ity, its industry, and enterprise. Its situation, doubtless, is highly 
favorable, but without an intelligent, ingenious, and active popu- 
lation, it could never have reached such a bight of prosperity. 

But it is not our intention to visit this commercial city as tour- 
ists. There are enough such to describe her agreeable situation 
and handsome public edifices, her long and elegant streets, her 
beautiful " green," and magnificent river. At present we shall 
not fatigue ourselves with visiting the Royal Exchange, the Royal 
Bank, the Tontine, and the Assembly Rooms. Neither shall we 
trouble our readers to go with us through Queen-street, St. Vin- 
cent-street, Greenhill Place, or Woodside Crescent. 

It might be worth while, however, to look into some of those 
immense factories, from which rise innumerable huge chimneys, 
some of which overtop the steeples and towers of the churches, 
and reach far up into the heavens.* Thousands and thousands 
of spindles and power-looms, with thousands and thousands of 
human hands and heads, are moving there from morn to night, 
and from night to morn. What masses of complicated and beau- 
tiful machinery ! what prodigious steam-engines, great hearts of 
power in the centers of little worlds, giving life, energy, and mo- 
tion to the whole ! Here is a single warehouse, as it is called, for 
the sale of manufactured o-oods, containing no less than two hund- 



One of these chimneys is said to be over 400 feet high. 



212 THE WORLD WE LIVE EN". 



red clerks. What piles of silks and shawls, cottons and calicoes ! 
The productions of Glasgow reach every part of the world. You 
will find them in India, China, and the United States, in the wilds 
of Africa and the jungles of Burmah, amid the snows of Labrador 
and the savannas of Georgia. 

But let us go down to the Broomielaw, and take a look at the 
river Clyde. That mile of masts, and those immense steamers 
plying up and down the river, connect Glasgow with every part 
of the British Empire and the world. 

What grand agency has accomplished all this ? Steam ! — 
steam, under the guidance and control of genius and enterprise. 
The extended prosperity of Glasgow commenced with the inven- 
tions of Watt, the greatest mechanical genius of the age, and the 
first man that constructed a steam-engine of much practical use. 
Steam has raised all those huge factories which we have been 
admiring, and keeps their innumerable wheels and pistons, spin- 
dles and power-looms, in motion. Steam it is which brings untold 
masses of coal and iron from the bowels of the earth, and converts 
them into machinery and motive-power. Yonder it comes, rolling 
and dashing, in a long train of cars and carriages filled with the 
produce and population of the land. Here it gives life and energy 
to a cotton-mill with a thousand looms ; there it casts off, from 
day to day, the myriads of printed sheets which spread intelli- 
gence through the country. All around us it moves the cranks 
and pulleys, ropes and wires, wheels and tools, which work such 
wonders in beating and grinding, cutting and carving, polishing 
and dyeing. Steam has added thousands, nay, millions to the 
annual income of Glasgow. It has augmented the resources of 
Great Britain to such an extent that it saves seventy millions of 
dollars annually in the matter of motive-power alone ! No pen 
can describe the additions which it has made in other parts of the 
world to their manufactures and commerce. It has brought all 
nations into more intimate relations, and is yet destined, in many 
respects, to revolutionize the world. 

Let us go, then, to George's Square, near the center of the city, 
and look at Chantrey's monument of the man who has done so 
much to bring about such a change. The Square contains also a 
fine monument of Sir Walter Scott, in the form of a fluted Doric 
column, about eighty feet high, surmounted by a colossal statue 
of " the great Magician of the North." He is represented stand- 
ing in an easy attitude, with a shepherd's plaid thrown hall 
around his body. The likeness is' said to be remarkably good. 
It has that expression of shrewdness, honesty, and good-nature 
for which he was distinguished, but none of that ideal elevation 



SCOTLAND. 213 



which graces the countenances of Schiller, Goethe, and Shak- 
speare. Immediately in front of this monument is a beautiful 
pedestrian statue in bronze, by Flaxman, of Sir John Moore, the 
subject of Wolfe's exquisite lyric : — 

" Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, 
As his corpse to the ramparts we hurried ; 
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot 
O'er the grave where our hero we buried." 

Sir John Moore was a citizen of Glasgow, and his townsmen 
have erected this statue as expressive of their veneration for his 
memory. To the right of this monument, in the southwest angle 
of the Square, you see in bronze, and of colossal magnitude, the 
noble figure of James Watt. He is represented in a sitting pos- 
ture, on a circular pedestal of Aberdeen granite. It is considered 
one of the happiest productions of the distinguished Chantrey. 
The fine meditative features of the great inventor are strikingly 
developed. Watt was born in Greenock, on the 19th of January, 
1736, but conducted his experiments chiefly in Glasgow. He 
came thither in 1757, first as a mathematical instrument-maker 
to the college, and subsequently as an engineer. In early life he 
gave indications of his peculiar genius by various little mechanical 
contrivances. At the age of six years, he was occasionally found 
stretched on the floor, delineating- with chalk the lines of a o-eo- 
metrical problem. At other times he greatly obliged his young 
companions by making and repairing their toj^s ; and before he 
had reached his seventeenth year, he had amused them with the 
wonders of an electrical machine of his own construction. He 
had also instructed himself by making experiments on the steam 
of a tea-kettle. He subsequently stored his mind with the won- 
ders of physics, chemistry, and medicine. 

In the University of Glasgow, Watt was employed to fit up the 
instruments of the Macfarlane Observatory, which gave him an 
opportunity of becoming acquainted with Adam Smith, Joseph 
Black, and Robert Simson, names immortal in the scientific annals 
of Scotland. Here also he formed an intimacy with John Robin- 
son, then a student at college, and subsequently the celebrated 
Dr. Robinson, who first called the attention of Watt to the subject 
of steam-engines, and threw out the idea of applying them to 
steam- carriages and other purposes. 

The steam-engine had existed before this time, but it was ex- 
tremely imperfect, and, moreover, of no great practical use. 
Hence Mr. Watt was not, properly speaking, the inventor, but the 
improver of the steam-engine. Still his improvement was equal 



214 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



to an invention of the highest order. It made the instrument 
available for the highest practical purposes. " He found the 
crazy machines of Savery and Newcomen laboring and creaking 
at our mine-heads, and occupying the same rank as prime movers 
with the wind-mill and the water-wheel ; and by a succession of 
inventions and discoveries, deduced from the most profound 
chemical knowledge, and applied by the most exquisite mechan- 
ical skill, he brought the steam-engine to such a degree of per- 
fection as to stamp it the most precious gift which man ever be- 
queathed to his race."* 

Watt had " a sore fight of existence," at least in the early part 
of his career, and he came near being deprived of the emolument 
which was his just due as a benefactor of his race. But he event- 
ually triumphed over all opposition, retired from business, and 
continued to reside during the rest of his life on his estate at 
Heathfield Soho. He was exceedingly happy in his domestic re- 
lations, though called, in 1804, to suffer a painful bereavement in 
the loss of his youngest son Gregory, who had given high promise 
of literary and scientific eminence. In 1808 he was elected a 
corresponding member of the Institute of France; and in 1814, 
he was nominated by the Academy of Sciences as one of its eight 
foreign correspondents. In 1819 his health suffered a rapid de- 
cline, and he himself felt that this was his last illness. " Resigned 
himself, he endeavored to make others resigned. He pointed out 
to his son the topics of consolation which should occupy his mind ; 
and, expressing his sincere gratitude to Providence for the length 
of days he had enjoyed, for his exemption from most of the infirm- 
ities of age, and for the serenity and cheerfulness which marked 
the close of his life, he expired at Heathfield on the 25th of Au- 
gust, 1819." He was interred in the parish church of Hands- 
worth ; and over his tomb his son erected an elegant Gothic 
chapel, containing a beautiful marble bust by Chantrey. Another 
bust by the same artist has been placed in one of the halls of 
Glasgow College. A colossal statue of Carrara marble, procured 
at great expense by public subscription, graces the recesses of 
Westminster Abbey. 

The most useful memorial of Watt, however, exists in Greenock, 
in the form of a large and handsome building for a public library, 
erected by his son, in which the citizens have caused to be placed 
a handsome marble statue, with an inscription from the pen of 
Lord Jeffrey. Lord Brougham concluded an eloquent speech 
on the merits of Mr Watt in the following striking terms: — "If 

* Edinburgh Review. 



SCOTLAND. 215 



in old times the temples of false gods were appropriately filled 
with the images of men who had carried devastation over the face 
of the earth, surely our temples cannot be more worthily adorned 
than with the likenesses of those whose triumphs have been splen- 
did, indeed, but unattended by sorrow to any — who have achieved 
victories, not for one country only, but to enlarge the power and 
increase the happiness of the whole human race." 

Passing up High-street, we come to an arched gateway, and 
find ourselves in a quadrangular court, with antique-looking build- 
ings on each side. Beyond this we come to another quadrangle, 
also surrounded by buildings of perhaps more recent date. Pass- 
ing straight on, we reach a handsome edifice of polished freestone, 
directly in front of us, and standing alone, which is nothing less 
than the Hunterian Museum. These, then, are the buildings of 
Glasgow University. Beyond us is the college-green, ornamented 
with trees, and divided into two parts by a sluggish stream which 
passes through the center. A number of the students, having 
laid aside their scarlet gowns, are playing at football, a violent, but 
delightful and invio-oratino- exercise. 

The University of Glasgow was founded in 1450, in the time of 
James the Second. Bishop Turnbull was then in possession of 
the see, and his successors were appointed chancellors. The his- 
tory of the institution has been various ; but, generally speaking, 
it has enjoyed a high degree of prosperity. Of late years the 
number of students has declined, from what cause we know not. 
The number, in all the departments, does not exceed a thousand, 
whereas, in 1824, when the writer was a student in Glasgow, 
there were from fourteen to fifteen hundred. Well does he re- 
member the enthusiasm with which they welcomed their popular 
candidate for rector, Henry Brougham, Esq., M. P., as he was 
then termed, and the eager interest with which they listened to 
his inaugural discourse. Sir James Mcintosh, a fine, hearty-look- 
ing man, with bland, expressive eyes, and two of the sons of Robert 
Burns, tall, good-looking young men, but with no particular re- 
semblance to their illustrious father, were present, with others, to 
grace the occasion. Brougham was in the maturity of his strength, 
and the heyday of his fame. Tall, muscular, and wiry, with 
searching visage, dark complexion, keen piercing eyes, ample fore- 
head, and long outstretched finger, he stood up the very personi- 
fication of strength and eloquence. But Brougham has been fre- 
quently described, and we therefore pass him by. The next rector 
that was chosen was Thomas Campbell, the poet, once a member 
of the college, and one of its most distinguished ornaments. A 



216 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 

large portion, if not the whole of the "Pleasures of Hope," was 
written while he was a student at college. 

Many distinguished men have been professors in this institution. 
Among these, Dr. Reid and Dr. Hutcheson, Dr. Simpson and Dr. 
Moore, Adam Smith, and Professor Sandford, stand pre-eminent. 
Well does the writer remember the accomplished, but unfortunate 
Sandford, and the profound enthusiasm for the Greek classics 
which he inspired in his students. He was a son of the venerable 
Bishop Sandford, a distinguished graduate of Oxford, and a man 
of the highest attainments in Greek and English literature. Of 
small stature, he yet possessed an elegant and commanding form. 
His pale face, finely chiseled mouth, dark eyes, and marble fore- 
head are before me now. I hear his clear, musical voice, rolling 
out, ore rotundo, the resounding periods of Homer, or the ener- 
getic lines of Eschylus. No man ever recited Greek with sue! 
enthusiasm and energy. It was a perfect treat to bear him read 
the odes of Anacreon or the choral hymns of Eschylus ; to say 
nothing of his elegant translations, or his fine critical remarks. 
He was created a baronet by the government, and bade fair to be 
one of the most distinguished and influential literary men in the 
country. But he was seduced into party politics, was sent as the 
representative of Glasgow to Parliament, and failed — failed utterly 
and forever ; for his want of success in the House of Commons 
preyed upon his spirits, and caused his death. 

Among the distinguished men now occupying places in this uni- 
versity we find Mr. Lushington, of Trinity College, Cambridge, 
professor of Greek, and Dr. Nichol, author of the popular Lec- 
tures on the Wonders of the Heavens, professor of practical as- 
tronomy. Mr. Mylne, professor of moral philosophy, and Mr. 
Buchanan, professor of logic, are acute and learned men. 

Leaving the college, we ascend High -street, and after reaching 
the top of the hill, a little to the right, we see before us the 
"High Kirk," or rather the old cathedral of Glasgow, one of the 
finest remains of antiquity, surrounded by a vast church-yard, con- 
taining many rich and ancient monumental tombs, and the mold- 
ering bones of many by-gone generations. It has a superb crypt, 
" equaled by none in the kingdom" — once used as a place of 
worship, but now as a place for burying the dead. The author 
of Waverley has invested it with additional interest by making it 
the scene of a striking incident in Rob Roy. The whole edifice 
has a most commanding appearance. 

At the northeast end of the cathedral the spot is yet to be 
seen where bigotry and superstition lighted the fires of religious 
persecution. There, in the year 1538, Jerome Russel, a member 



■ 

SPAIN. 217 



of the convent of Franciscan friars, in Glasgow, a man of consid- 
erable talents, and John Kennedy, a young man from Ayr, of high 
family, only about eighteen years of age, were burned for having 
embraced the doctrines of the infant Reformation. They sustained 
the terrible ordeal through which they passed to glory with a 
becoming dignity and fortitude. " This is your hour and power 
of darkness," said Russel : "now you sit as judges, and we aYe 
wrongfully condemned, but the day cometh which will clear our 
innocency, and you shall see your own blindness to your everlast- 
ing confusion — go on, and fulfill the measure of your iniquity." 
Is it surprising that the reaction of reform which followed such 
proceedings should occasionally have gone to unjustifiable lengths, 
and that the people should have torn down " the rookeries" which 
sheltered those birds of prey, as the spiritual tyrants of that day 
might well be termed? Never were a nobler or more heroic set 
of men than the martyrs and confessors of that trying time ! 
Knox, Melville, and Wishart might be stern, but they were men 
of godlike temper and heroic zeal, of whom the world was not 
worthy. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



As roads are poor in Spain, a sure sign of a backward state of 
civilization, we shall be compelled, like the natives, to make our 
journey through the country on mules ; and as robberies are fre- 
quent, even in the neighborhood of Madrid, we must take with us 
not only some hardy muleteers, but, if possible, an armed escort, 
or we may stand a fair chance of being shot among the mountains, 
or, at least, of being stripped of our possessions. Should an escort 
be too expensive, we must do, as many others, go armed ourselves, 
or run such ris"k as may befall us. Spain is, in most parts, a beau- 
tiful and fertile country, though not uniformly so ; many tracts of 
land being arid and poor. It consists mainly of mountains and 
valleys, and especially high table-lands, where, even in the hot 
southern regions, the air is comparatively cool and delicious. 
Some parts of the country, Valencia and Mercia, for example, en- 
joy a perpetual spring. The sugar-cane, and other tropical pro- 
ductions, are found in Andalusia and Granada. In the extreme 

10 



218 THE WORLD WE LIVE ITST. 



south, the heats of summer would be intolerable, unless subdued 
by the cool sea-breeze, which begins to blow at nine in the morn- 
ing, and continues till five in the evening. The interior of the 
country is so much elevated, as to be comparatively cool. The 
two Castiles form a raised plain, nearly two thousand feet in 
bight. The provinces along the coast of the Mediterranean have 
been termed the paradise of the kingdom. The sky is " azure and 
gold ;" the inhabitants of Seville affirm that a day was never 
known when the sun did not shine upon their city. The olive, 
the orange, and especially the vine, which grows luxuriantly in all 
the warmer regions, adorn the landscape. 

Spain has mines of copper, silver, quicksilver, lead, and gold, 
which yield handsome returns. Her principal productions are 
salt, wines, silk, olives, mules, and sheep, immense flocks of which 
feed on the high plains of the interior. But commerce, agricul- 
ture, and generally the arts of industry, are in a low condition. 
The Spaniards, proud and brave, are indolent and unenterprising. 
The finances of the country are in a wretched state, and the gov- 
ernment is badly administered. The land is overrun with priests, 
beggars, and friars, the last being only a species of legalized or 
spiritual beggars. The ecclesiastics of all classes, including monks 
and nuns, number about 200,000 ! No less than 32,000 are con- 
fined in cloisters. The clergy are described by nearly all travel- 
ers as the most powerful body in Spain, and are said to be " rich, 
ignorant, and dissolute." They control education, and give tone 
and character to the great mass of the people. They, retain a 
strong hold especially upon the poorer classes, to many of whom 
they distribute from the monasteries daily food and alms. But 
they take vastly more than they give ; and the entire army of 
monks and friars, blue, black, and gray, lead a life of indolence 
and luxury. 

" I'll give thee, good fellow, a twelvemonth or twain 
To search Europe through, from Byzantium to Spain ; 
But ne'er shall you find, should you search till you tire, 
So happy a man as the barefooted friar. 

He's expected at noon, and no wight, ere he comes, 
May profane the great chair, or the porridge of plums ; 
For the best of the cheer, and the seat at the fire, 
Is the undenied right of the barefooted friar." 

Every person in Spain, however poor, pays something to the 
Church, and what with bulls, indulgences, marriages, absolutions, 
and christenings, a vast amount of money goes into the capacious 
pockets of the Catholic clergy. 



SPAIN. 



219 




> 



SPAIN. 221 

While Spain abounds with cathedrals, churches, and monaster- 
ies, some of them absolutely blazing with gems and gold, it has 
not over one thousand schools for the education of a population of 
twelve millions! A member of the Cortes in 1839 asserted that 
all Spain numbered not more than nine hundred schools in all, at 
which rate not less than 13,333 Spaniards must resort to a single 
school ! Nominally there are still eight universities, once richly 
endowed, and numerously attended, but during the changes and 
revolutions of the country they have been stripped of their en- 
dowments, and reduced in their character. The army numbers 
not less than a hundred thousand, th<5ugh the navy is nothing, 
and the public debt is increasing every year. Freedom and in- 
dustry, religion (pure and undefiled) and enterprise, go hand in 
hand, but Spain is nearly destitute of all these, and thence, to use 
a homely but expressive phrase, is completely " run down at the 
heel." It is a poor, proud country, without life, energy, or prog- 
ress. 

It is well known that Spain has long been the favorite seat of 
the Roman Catholic faith. Out of Italy, with the single excep- 
tion, perhaps, of Ireland, no country has been more devoted to the 
interests of the papal church. The Inquisition was maintained 
here for ages, in all the plenitude of its power, and rigor of ad- 
ministration. It was introduced, or rather it attained its highest 
vigor, in the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. According to Llo- 
rente, no fewer than 13,000 individuals, accused of heresy, were 
publicly burned by the different tribunals of Castile and Aragon ; 
and 191,413, accused of the same offense, suffered other punish- 
ments in the brief space between the establishment of the modern 
Inquisition in 1481 and 1518, only two years after the death of 
Ferdinand ; since which time the number of victims have been 
vastly greater. By rack, sword, and fagot, it extinguished the 
Protestant Reformation ; and not only so, but checked the progress 
of philosophy and learning. Indeed, it was the deadly foe of 
every thing like free inquiry, and many a great, many a good man 
perished, on the simple ground of constructive heresy. The autos 
da/4 of Spain have excited the horror of the civilized world. 

" Then, in Religion's sacred name, 
A holocaust of souls was reared ; 
Red like a furnace glowed the flame, 

Black like the night the heavens appeared ; 
The furies triumphed, and the kingly crown 
Shone o'er a bigot's glare, a tyrant's frown. 

First on the heap in fury cast, 

Perished the Book divinely fair — 



222 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



Perished the lore of ages past : 

Life's light went out with science there. 
Whelmed in the fiery blast, the blast of helL 
Souls, Bibles, libraries, together fell. 

Behold the pageants' vast array, 

Pavilions, banners, floating free ; 
Cowls, miters, eager for their prey, 

Princess, and prelate, and grandee : — 
The ancient cities all their throngs emit, 
And high on thrones presiding monarchs sit. 

They come with music, trump and drum, 
With solemn* pomp, and thundering zeal ; 

With fagot, stake, and torch they come — 
With strangling cord, and flashing steel, 

To see how far o'er weakness, fear, and pain, 

Faith's mighty power her votaries can sustain." 

The intolerance and bigotry of Spain are somewhat abated. 
The Inquisition has been destroyed, though the spirit of the Inqui- 
sition yet lingers there, and some progress has been made toward 
the attainment of religious freedom. Still, Spain must be yet 
pronounced one of the most superstitious, priest-ridden, and in- 
tolerant countries in Europe. 

Many of the cities and 'public buildings of Spain are quite splen- 
did. Madrid, the capital, stands in the center of the kingdom, in 
the midst of a high barren plain, surrounded by mountains. It 
has something over two hundred thousand inhabitants, and pre- 
sents a fine appearance. Its squares, churches, palaces, bridges, 
are elegant and imposing. The houses are generally of brick, 
built around inner courts, with frequent fountains and gardens. 

Twenty-two miles to the northwest of the city is the Escurial, 
half-palace and half-monastery, perhaps the most sumptuous and 
magnificent in the world. "It is situated,'.' says Abbot, " among 
the wild, somber scenery of the old Castilian mountains, about 
twenty-two miles from Madrid. This enormous palace, seven 
hundred and forty feet in length, by five hundred and eighty feet 
in breadth, was reared by Philip II., in the middle of the sixteenth 
century, at an expense of about fifty millions of dollars. Philip, 
austere, gloomy, fanatical, selected this wild and gloomy fastness 
as the site of his palace, and reared the regal mansion in the form 
of a gridiron, in commemoration of the instrument of martyrdom 
of St. Lawrence. The embellishments of more modern kings, and 
the luxuriant foliage of trees and shrubbery, have now invested 
even this uncouth order of architecture with a kind of venerable 
beauty. Four towers at the angles represent the legs of the 
gridiron. 



SPAEST. 223 

The Spanish description of this structure forms a large quarto 
volume. It is stated that there are eleven thousand doors. This 
may be an exaggeration, and yet the enormous edifice, with its 
cupola, its domes, its towers, its chapel, library, painting gallery, 
and college, mausoleum, cloisters, regal saloons, apartments for 
domestics and artisans, its parks, gardens, walks, and fountains, 
constitute almost a city by itself. A statue of St. Lawrence is 
over the grand entrance, with a gilt gridiron in his hand. 

Spacious reservoirs, constructed upon the neighboring mount- 
ains, collect the water conveyed by aqueducts, to supply ninety- 
two fountains. A very beautiful road, about a mile in length, 
fringed with lofty elms and lindens, is the avenue to this magnifi- 
cent palace ; and a subterranean corridor of equal length, arched 
with stone, connects the edifice with the neighboring village. 

Underneath the building is the subterranean chamber called 
the Pantheon, the burying-place of the royal family. It is a very 
magnificent apartment, circular in its form, thirty-six feet in diame- 
ter, its walls incrusted with the most beautiful and highly polished 
marble. Here repose the moldering remains of the Spanish 
monarchs, whose bodies lie in marble tombs, one above the other. 
A long arched stairway, lined with polished marble, beautifully 
veined, conducts to the mausoleum, far below the surface of the 
earth. A magnificent chandelier, suspended from the ceiling, 
lighted upon extraordinary occasions, sheds brilliance upon this 
grand yet gloomy mansion of the dead. The labor of many years 
was devoted to the construction of this sepulcher. 

For nearly three hundred years the domes and towers of this 
monument of Spanish grandeur and superstition have withstood 
the storms which have swept the summer and wrecked the win- 
ter's sky. Many generations of kings, with their accumulated 
throng of courtiers, have, like ocean tides, ebbed and flowed 
through these halls. But now the Escurial is but the 'memorial 
of the past, neglected and forgotten. Two hundred monks, like 
the spirits of the dead ages, creep noiselessly through its cloisters, 
and the pensive melody of their matins and vespers floats mourn- 
fully through their deserted halls. Here have been witnessed 
scenes of revelry and seenes of fanaticism — the spirit of sincere 
thought, misguided piety, and the spirit of reckless and heaven- 
defying crime, such as few earthly abodes have ever exhibited. 
The fountains still throw up their beautiful jets, but the haughty 
cavaliers, and the high-born maidens and dames who once thronged 
them, have disappeared, and the pensive friar, in sackcloth and 
hempen girdle, sits in solitude upon the moss-grown stone. The 
blaze of illuminations once gleamed from those windows and cor- 



224 THE WORLD WE LIVE LINT. 



ridors, and night was turned to day as songs and dances resounded 
through hall, and bower, and grove. Now midnight comes with 
midnight silence, and solitude and gloom ; and naught is to be 
seen but here and there the glimmer of some faint taper from the 
cell where some penitent monk keeps his painful vigils. The jew- 
elry and the flaunting robes of fashion, and the merry peals which 
have ushered in the bridal party, have passed away, and now the 
convent bell but calls the world -renouncing, joyless hearts to the 
hour of prayer, or tolls the knell, as, in the shades of night, the 
remains of some departed brother are borne, with twinkling torches 
and funeral chants, to their burial. And yet how many are there, 
weary of the world, with crushed hearts and dead hopes, who 
would gladly find, in these dim cloisters, a refuge from the storms 
of life ! Here soon, beneath this marble canopy, the body of the 
helpless Isabella will molder to the dust. May God grant that 
when the trumpet of the archangel shall awake her from the long 
sleep of the grave, she may arise to sit on a more exalted throne, 
and to wear a brighter crown than mortal mind hath ever con- 
ceived." 

The principal manufacturing city of Spain is Barcelona, on the 
shores of the Mediterranean ; but perhaps the most beautiful and 
attractive of all its cities, with the exception of Granada, is the 
capital of Andalusia, " the fair Seville," charmingly situated on 
the Guadalquivir, in the midst of a plain covered with olive and 
orange groves, hamlets, villages, <and convents. Its principal 
charm, in addition to the deep verdure of the trees, and the 
balmy purity of the atmosphere, consists in the Moorish aspect of 
the place, with its narrow streets, airy mansions, cool fountains, 
innumerable windows, and grotesque, but beautiful ornaments. 
Like Madrid, Seville is a gay, giddy place. Balls, masques, and 
revels abound. Morals are at a low ebb. " In Seville," says Inglis, 
"it is almost a derision to a married woman to have no cortejo 
(gallant), and a jest against a Senorita not to have her amante 
(lover). Indeed, the gallantries of the latter are not unfrequently 
carried as far as the intrigues of the former." 

" The feast, the song, the revel here abounds ; ^ 

Strange modes of merriment the hours consume. 
Nor bleed these patriots with their country's wounds, 

Nor here war's clarion, but love's rebeck sounds ; 
Here Folly still his votaries enthralls, 

And young-eyed lewdness walks her midnight rounds : 
Girt with the silent crimes of capitals, 

Still to the last dark Vice clings to the tottering walls.' 

Granada, the favorite city of the Moors, situated at the June- 



SPAIN. 



225 



tion of the rivers Darro and Xenil, with its crenated walls, ter- 
raced gardens, stone bridges, domes, minarets, shining steeples, 
gushing fountains, and especially its ancient and magnificent Al- 
hambra, has excited the high admiration of every traveler. It 
once contained half a million of Mohammedans, and is still a large 
and populous city. The Alhambra (the Red), though an irregu- 
lar structure, is one of the most gorgeous in the world. Its vast 
colonnades, spacious courts and arcades, its splendid halls, 
golden saloons, alcoves, fountains, and mosaic pavements, are the 
wonder of every visitor. It seems more the work of giants and 
fairies than of human beings. No wonder the Moors loved it, as 
their chosen capital, or that they mourn its loss to the present 
day. They esteem it a terrestrial paradise, and every Friday, 
even now, offer prayers for its recovery. 




Spanish Costume in the Sixteenth Century. 



As to the people of Spain, there are four distinct races : first, 
the Spaniards proper, who form the bulk of the population ; sec- 
ondly, the Basques (about 500,000), descended from the ancient 
Cantabrians, and occupying the Navarre and Basque provinces ; 
thirdly, the Morescos, descendants of the Moors, about 60,000 of 
whom still reside in Granada and the Alpujarras ; and lastly, the 

10* 



226 THE WOELD WE LIVE IIS". 



Gitanos, or gipsys, probably, like the rest of their brethren who 
wander over Europe, descendants of some Asiatic, perhaps Hindoo 
race, though in Spain not strolling from place to place as in Eng- 
land, but generally pursuing some fixed occupation in towns. 
The Spaniards are of middle size, of ordinary stature, rather thin, 
with olive complexions, dark hair, and black eyes. The women 
are generally of middle or low stature, gracefully formed, with 
expressive looks, aquiline noses, full, dark, piercing eyes, and 
complexions varying from the ruddy glow of Northern Europe to 
the deep olive of the Moors. 

Stately, formal, and polite, indolent also, and, for the most part, 
deliberate, the Spaniards, when aroused, are passionate and revenge- 
ful. The peasantry are especially indolent. " I have heard a 
peasant," says Col. Napier, " refuse to run an errand, because he 
had that morning earned enough already to serve him for the day." 
Proud, arrogant, and vain, are terms which foreigners apply to the 
whole nation indiscriminately. Yet they have fine elements of 
character, after all, as their history and literature abundantly 
prove. Their language is sonorous and beautiful, and their literary 
works, especially in the department of poetry, romance, and par- 
ticularly the drama, rich and various. Cervantes and Calderon 
have a world-wide reputation. Imaginative and aspiring, they 
suffer from the want of high stimulus. Science has never pros- 
pered in Spain. In the departments of. political economy, juris- 
prudence, and mechanical invention, they are more than a hundred 
years behind the times. The aristocracy of the country make 
high pretensions. A Hidalgo, the son of somebody, though poor 
and ignorant, regards himself a person of high consequence. 
Grandees and beggars are about equally numerous. 

Gambling, cock-fighting, and bull-baiting may be called the 
national amusements, though dancing may be said to be the uni- 
versal favorite. The bolero and the fandango are the common 
dances, the bolero being a more graceful and decorous mode of 
dancing the fandango, which is a wild and even licentious exercise. 
Such is the passion for the bolero, that, it has been affirmed, if it 
should be struck up in courts and churches, the very judges and 
clergy could not refrain from joining in the general tarantula ex- 
citement. The bull-fights, which are derived from the Romans, 
are often dedicated to the Apostles St. John and St. James, or 
the Virgin, the favorite deity, or rather goddess, of the Spanish 
worship. Discouraged by government, this savage amusement is 
constantly indulged in. Monday, in Madrid, during the season of 
bull-fights, is a kind of holiday ; every body looks forward to the 
enjovment of the afternoon, and all the conversation is about los 



FRANCE. 227 

tows. The intense interest which they feel in the spectacle is 
visible throughout the whole, and often loudly expressed ; an 
astounding shout always accompanies a critical moment ; whether 
it be a bull or a man that is in danger, their joy is excessive ; but 
their greatest sympathy is given to the feats of the bull. If the 
picador receives the bull gallantly, and forces him to retreat ; or 
if the matador courageously faces and wounds the bull, they ap- 
plaud those acts of science and valor ; but if the bull overthrow 
the horse and his rider, or if the matador miss his aim, and the 
bull seems ready to gore him, their delight knows no bounds. 
Blood, wounds, gore, the panting and exhausted animals, often 
treading on their own entrails, offer a strange attraction to these 
semi-barbarous multitudes, composed not of the dregs of society, 
but of the polished circles of Madrid. Even delicate females gloat 
their eyes upon the savage spectacle. 



CHAPTER XVII, 



FRANCE 



Crossing the Pyrenees, in whose deep valleys, and on the sides 
of whose lofty mountains, clothed with verdure and trees, are fre- 
quent scenes of beauty and grandeur, and whose inhabitants, 
chiefly shepheirls, are a poor but industrious race, we reach the 
south of " sunny Fi-ance," and .find that in this part of the country, 
at least, the appellation is appropriate. The atmosphere is de- 
licious, and all around us are vineyards and olive-groves, with 
their deep verdure and cheerful aspect. Portions of the country 
are not particularly fertile, especially toward the coast of the 
Mediterranean ; though others are peculiarly rich and beautiful. 
Ascending the Rhone to Avignon, and thence to Lyons, we begin 
to have some conception of the great extent and productiveness of 
the French vine lands. Indeed, wine may be regarded as the 
staple article of French commerce. Every where, on hill-side and 
in valley, vineyards greet the eye, laden with their purple fruitage. 
Groves of mulberry are also abundant, as also fruit-trees of every 
description, particularly the rich and productive olive. At Lyons, 
filled with factories of various kinds, the click of the loom may be 
heard in almost every house, while the stores are filled with every 
variety of manufactured articles, especially in the line of jewelry. 



228 THE WOPwLD WE LIVE EST. 



As we pass along, and come to the center of the country, we see 
many tokens of thrift and industry, though the peasantry seem 
poor, and their villages (for they are generally gathered into vil- 
lages, while the country around, though cultivated, appears almost 
without inhabitants) are far from having the quiet and picturesque 
aspect of the rural villages of England. The land is divided and 
subdivided into small farms, but the fine old homesteads and com- 
fortable farm-houses of England, or of the United States, are en- 
tirely wanting. The chateaux, too, as a general thing, are mar- 
velously plain, and often desolate- looking buildings. As a whole, 
the country is not distinguished for beautiful scenery ; though 
patches here and there, with their orchards and clustering vines, 
have an attractive and cheerful look. The roads in France, and 
the accommodations for travelers, are good, and the people whom 
one meets upon the thoroughfares polite and obliging — especially 
if they expect money from you. 

But we are approaching Paris, the environs of which are cer- 
tainly attractive ; and now the fair and far-famed city, the center 
and focus of life, gayety, politics, and revolutions to the whole 
country, admits us within its massive walls. As we glide along 
the banks of the Seine, a dull stream, but finely adorned with 
trees, superb buildings, and shady walks ; pass through the Champs 
Elysees, the gardens and palace of the Tuilleries, with their rich 
adornments, the Place Vendome, where rises the imposing bronze 
monument of Napoleon ; get a glimpse, at a distance, of the old 
cathedral of Notre Dame ; gaze with wonder on the " pillared 
glory" of the Madeleine, and linger a few moments on the Boule- 
vards, lined with gay crowds and carriages, we begin to gain some 
idea of the magnificence of the French capital. 

What scenes of grandeur and folly, of gay triumph and bloody 
horror, have been enacted here ! What chances and changes, 
what intrigues and revolutions, have formed the strange drama of 
her history ! And even now what singular contrasts are visible in 
Paris, and what terrible portents of future, and, it may be, appall- 
ing revolutions ! Gay as a festival, as if to-morrow would be as 
this day and much more abundant, and yet beneath her feet the 
smoldering fires of a social volcano. Smiling, dancing, singing, 
shouting, carousing, and yet but a few days ago baptized in blood, 
and to-morrow, perhaps, to be plunged in anarchy and crime ! 

" Beautiful Paris ! morning star of nations ! 
The Lucifer of cities ! Lifting high 
The beacon-blaze of young Democracy! 
Medina and Gomorrah both in one. 
Luxurious, godless, groveling, soaring Paris : 



FRANCE. 



229 




FRANCE. 231 



Laden with intellect, and yet not wise ; 

Metropolis of satire and lampoon, 

Of wit, of elegance, of mirth, of song, 

And fearful tragedies done, day by day, 

Which put our hair on end, in the open streets ; 

The busy hive of awful memories ; 

The potent arbiter of popular will ; 

The great electric center, whence the shocks 

Of pulsing freedom vibrate through the world. 

Beautiful Paris !" 

Undoubtedly France is a great nation. It has a population of 
about thirty-five millions ; as a whole, active, energetic, and intel- 
ligent, though crushed and decimated every now and then by rev- 
olutions, yet surprisingly elastic and vivacious, capable, as we 
doubt not, of all high enterprise and generous attainment. Situ- 
ated in the center of Europe, with a sufficiently fertile country, 
fine rivers, and an extensive sea-coast, studded with good harbors 
and large commercial cities, a language plastic and elegant, spo- 
ken by myriads of the human family, and a literature rich and 
various, extensive manufactures and a prosperous commerce, France 
may lay claim to high honor, as one of the leading powers of Eu- 
rope. And yet France is in danger of becoming " a by- word and 
a proverb" in the civilized world. Despotic, and yet republican, 
crushing under the hoof of military power freedom of thought 
and freedom of the press, she shouts paeans for liberty, and yet 
takes the most effectual means of extinguishing it forever. Reel- 
ing to and fro like a drunken man, now assisting at the services 
of religion, and then plunging into the mad orgies of folly and 
crime, France seems destined to pei-petual and wasting change. 
Reform with her is nothing, revolution every thing. The bayonet 
settles every question. Brute force determines the destiny of the 
State. The Socialists even, who cry out liberty, fraternity, and 
equality, long to imbrue their hands in their brothers' blood ! One 
of these days they will surely see their folly. 

France has superstition enough, but little or no faith. She has 
bishops and archbishops, legates and cardinals ; she has nuns and 
monks, Franciscans and Jesuits, Dominicans and Trappists ; she 
has amulets and charms, relics and crosses, processions and masses, 
indulgences and penances, but no lofty and vital faith, and, con- 
sequently, no permanent peace, no abiding love, order, and har- 
mony.* Gay, giddy, fickle, and licentious, "lovers of pleasure 

* We speak here of the nation generally. To all such statements there 
are, of course, exceptions. The dominant religion in France is Catholic, un- 
der the authority of fourteen archbishops and sixty-six bishops. There are 



232 THE WORLD WE LIVE EN". 



more than lovers of God," her people know not what they want, 
and thence restless as demons, haunted by fear and passion, they 
madly plunge into all sorts of schemes and revolutions. France, 
though externally Catholic, is infidel at heart, and thus without 
God, must be without high virtue and patriotism. There are ex- 
ceptions, doubtless, among her citizens. Many are sighing for a 
purer faith. Some, both among Catholics and Protestants, are 
praying for a better order of things. Nay, some, with high and 
patriotic aspirations, are working night and day for its realization. 
But alas ! the great mass of the nation, we fear, are godless and 
prayerless, and long for a liberty which is indulgence, a freedom 
which is vice. 

Of course pure republicanism cannot live in such a state of 
things. The name, indeed, may remain, but the thing itself is 
gone. Louis XIV., in the palmy days of the empire, called him- 
self The State! And what was Napoleon, in the end, but the 
State ? And what was the Directory — what Danton, Mirabeau, 
or Robespierre, when they had the power ? And what does the 
present Napoleon long to be, but the State ? Yes, they have a 
Republic, but it may prove a despotism nevertheless, and excite 
the contempt of the surrounding nations. But we scarcely expect 
even the name to remain, so long; as France continues infidel and 
heartless. We hope, indeed, for a better day. France, we trust, 
will get tired of her skepticism, as she will suffer for her vice ; 
and the time may come when a rational and orderly freedom, 
based upon piety and virtue, will dawn upon her weary millions. 

France has a standing army of between 400,000 and 500,000, 
and a public debt of more than five thousand million francs ! 
She owns many fine universities, with learned professors, and a 
fair system of common-school education, but it does not work 
well, and, indeed, as has been shrewdly remarked, may be styled 
"much ado about nothing." Myriads of her people can neither 
read nor write. Her literature is rich and various, but sadly 
tainted by skepticism and licentiousness. The favorite authors 
are Montaigne, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Eugene Sue, Balzac, and 
George Sand (Madame Dudevant), licentious, not simply in detail, 
but in principle, are exceedingly popular with the people. But to 
France belong the eloquent Bossuet, the devout Fenelon, and the 
profound Pascal. Few countries are richer in historical works. 
Michaud, Barante, Thierry, Thiers, Mignet, Guizot, Sismondi, 

about four millions of Protestants (nominally such), about one million of 
■whom are Lutherans ; the others, mostly, are .Reformists. These are sup- 
ported by the State. 



FKANCE. 233 



Chateaubriand, Michelet, Quinet, and others have labored, with 
success, in this interesting field. In poetry and the drama, and 
in polite literature generally, France is inferior only to Great Brit- 
ain. Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Voltaire, Dumas, Beranger, La- 
martine, and many others, have covered her with unfading laurels. 
In science France is peculiarly distinguished. Des Cartes, Pascal, 
La Place, Cuvier, and Leverrier rank with the Boyles, the Newtons, 
and Herschels of other lands. In speculative philosophy, too, 
particularly in the history of metaphysical science, France has 
taken a high rank. Her Des Carteses, Arnaulds, Pascals, Dege- 
randos, Jouffroys, Damirons, Ballanches, and Cousins have inter- 
woven their names with the entire history of speculative science. 

And yet, somehow, France, practically, has gained but little 
by all her efforts in science and speculation. The crudest and 
wildest theories are propounded to her people. Schools the ab- 
surdest and most impracticable are formed ; and France, thus far, 
seems to be without any just system of mental or moral philoso- 
phy, and above all, without any just system of religion and mor- 
als. Rousseau and Voltaire are the demi-gods of the popular 
thought and the popular literature ; whence the universal preva- 
lence of skepticism, levity, and licentiousness. 

The French are, perhaps, the vainest and the politest people on 
the face of the earth. Lively and graceful in all their movements 
and conversation, they abound in gallantry and wit. Brave, more- 
over, and sometimes generous, they exhibit occasionally noble 
traits. But their boundless vanity, levity, and love of pleasure 
produce disastrous consequences. Their pleasures seem perpetu- 
ally bordering upon vice ; their gayety and merriment are ever 
gliding into folly and crime. In this respect we find a striking 
similarity in their history. With some modifications, perhaps im- 
provements, they are much the same people that they were in the 
days of Louis XIV. On this point, we make the following ex- 
tracts from " Bulwer's France," a work which sheds a vivid light 
upon the virtues and the vices of the French people. " The letter 
of a Sicilian gentleman gives the following description of Paris in 
the time of Louis XIV. : ' It is no exaggeration,' says he, ' to re- 
mark that Paris is one vast hotel. You see every where cafes, 
estaminets, taverns, and the frequenters of taverns. The kitchens 
smoke at all times ; and at all times eating is going on. The lux- 
ury of Paris is something extraordinary and enormous — its wealth 
would enrich three cities. On all sides you are surrounded by 
rich and splendid shops, where every thing is sold that you don't 
want, as well as every thing that you require. All would wish 
to live splendidly, and the poorest gentleman, jealous of his neigh- 



234 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



bor, would live as well as he does. Ribbons, looking-glasses, are 
things without which the French could not live. Fashion is the 
veritable demon of the nation ; one sex is as vain and desirous of 
pleasure as the other ; and if the women never stir without a 
mirror, the men may be seen arranging and combing their wigs 
publicly in the streets. There is not a people so imperious and 
audacious as these Parisians ; they are proud of their very fickle- 
ness, and say that they are the only persons in the world who can 
break their promises with honor. In vain you look for modesty, 
wisdom, persons who have nothing to do (a Sicilian is speaking), 
or men who have grown old. But if you do not find wisdom, 
modesty, or old age, you find obsequiousness, gallantry, and po- 
liteness. Go into a shop, and you are cajoled into buying a thou- 
sand things you never dreamt of, before you obtain the article 
you want. The manner of the higher classes is something charm- 
ing — there are masters who teach civility, and a pretty girl the 
other day offered to sell me compliments. The women dote upon 
little dogs. They command their husbands, and obey nobody. 
They dress with grace. We see them at all hours, and they dote 
on conversation. As to love — they love, and listen to their lovers 
without much difficulty — but they never love long, and they never 
love enough. I have not seen a jealous husband, or a man who 
thinks himself unhappy or dishonored because his wife is un- 
faithful. 

" ' During the ' Careme,' the people go in the morning to a ser- 
mon, in the evening to a comedy, with equal zeal and devotion. 
The abbes are in great number, and the usual resource of ladies 
in affliction. The young men are perpetually in the racket-court ; 
the old men pass their time at cards, at dice, and in talking over 
the news of the day. The Tuileries are the resort of the idle, and 
those who wish, without taking any trouble about it, to be amused. 
It is there that you laugh, joke, make love, talk of what is doing 
in the city, of what is doing in the army ; decide, criticise, dispute, 
deceive. Chocolate, tea, and coffee are very much in vogue, but 
coffee is preferred to either tea or chocolate ; it is thought a reme- 
dy for low spirits. A lady learnt, the other day, that her husband 
had been killed in battle : ' Ah, unhappy that I am !' said she ; 
' quick, bring me a cup of coffee !' The inhabitants of Paris are 
lodged upon the sides of the bridges, and even upon the tops and 
tiles of the houses. Although it does not rain often, you can't 
help walking in the mud, for all the filth of the town is thrown 
out into the streets, which it is impossible for the magistrates, 
however strict, to keep clean. The ladies never go out but on 
mules ; the gentlemen walk in large high boots. The hackney- 



FEAISTCE. 23£ 



coaches are old, battered, and covered with mud ; the horses which 
draw them have no flesh on their bones. The coachmen are bru- 
tal ; they have a voice so hoarse and so terrible, that no sooner is 
the rattling machine in movement, than you imagine all the furies 
at work in giving to Paris the sounds of the infernal regions.' 

" Such was Paris above a century ago ; let any one reflect upon 
the immense changes that have taken place since that time. Let 
any one reflect that we have had since then, Law, Voltaire, Rous- 
seau, the orgies and bankruptcy of the Regent, the reign of Louis 
XV., the decapitation of Louis XVI., the wars and terrors of the 
Republic, the tyranny of the Empire, the long struggle of the 
Restoration ; let any reflect that since then have been born the 
doctrines of equality and liberty, which will probably change the 
destinies of the world ; let any one, I say, reflect upon all this, 
and tell me, as he reads the passage I have cited, whether the 
resemblance is not striking between the past and the present ? 
whether, in looking at Paris under Louis Philippe (we might add, 
under Louis Napoleon), he cannot trace all the main features of 
its picture taken during the time of Louis XIV. ? 

" Paris is certainly altered ; the ladies no longer ride on mules, 
nor do gentlemen arrange their head-dress in the public streets. 
The shop-keepers have lost their extraordinary civility, the ' no- 
blesse' have lost the exquisite polish of their ancient manners ; 
there are no longer masters to teach you civility, nor young ladies 
who will sell you compliments. The Parisians, under a serious 
government, are not so frivolous as of yore ; the vanity then con- 
fined to the toilet and the drawing-room, has taken a prouder 
flight, and prances on the ' Champs de Mars,' or harangues in 
the Chambre des Deputes. The passions are the same, but a 
new machine works them into a different shape, and produces an- 
other manufacture from the same materials. We see the change 
that other laws and other ideas produce, and the popular spirit 
which has elevated the character of the people has civilized the 
hackney-coaches, widened the streets, and saved two hundred per 
annum of his majesty's subjects. We see what new ideas and 
new laws have changed, but we see also how much new ideas and 
laws have left unaltered. The wish to outvie, the desire to please, 
the fondness for decoration, the easy transition from one passion 
and one pursuit to another, the amour propre, the fickleness of the 
Parisian, are still as visible as they were under the ' Grand Mo- 
narque,' while, alas ! the morals of society (if I may venture to say 
so) even yet remind you of the saying of Montesquieu, ' that the 
Frenchman never speaks of his wife, for fear of speaking before 
those who know more about her than he does !' 



230 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



I have said that the Parisian is almost as fickle as he 



was- 



* * * 



" Du reste, Paris might still pass for a vast hotel. There are 
eight hundred 'cafes' and one thousand 'restaurants,' and here 
you are served on silver, amid gilding, and painting, and glass, 
while the ' garcon' who says, ' Que voulez-vous, Monsieur V pre- 
sents a ' carte' with upward of two hundred articles ; and, lo ! 
there are still ' cafes' and ' estamenets,' taverns, and the frequent- 
ers of taverns, and it is at night, as you see these places brilliant 
with light, filled with guests, surrounded with loungers, that you 
catch the character of Paris, such as it is, such as it was a cen- 
tury ago. * * In this city there are one hundred and 
ninety-two places of public amusement — of amusement for the 
people, without counting the innumerable ' ginguettes' at the bar- 
riers, where the populace usually hold their Sunday revels. To 
those who are fond of facts, the manners of Paris may be thus 
described : — 

" There are twenty thousand persons every night at the thea- 
ters ; five public libraries are constantly full, and one hundred 
cabinets de lecture (reading-rooms). You will find about an 
equal number of celebrated dancing-masters and of celebrated 
teachers of mathematics, and the municipality pays one-third more 
for itsfites than it does for its religion. 

"A passion for enjoyment, a contempt for life without pleasure, 
a want of religion and morality, fill the gambling-house, the Mor- 
gue, and the ' Enfans Trouves' (places for foundlings).* 
***** 

" Paris has in the year (on an average of twenty years) but one 
hundred and twenty-six days tolerably fine. 

" But what may not be said of these one hundred and twenty- 
six days ? They contain the history of France. The sun shines — ■ 
and behold that important personage who has so frequently de- 
cided the destiny of Paris ! See him in his black and besmeared 
' blouse,' his paper cap, and his green apron ; there he is on the 
quais, on the Boulevards, on the Palais Royal — wherever Paris is 
more essentially Paris, there he is, laughing, running, shouting, 
idling, eating. There he is, at the f6te, at the funeral, at the 



* Mr. Bulwer says, in another place (p. 52, Paris Ed.) — " The hospitals of 
the ' Enfans Trouves,' which, under their present regulations, are nothing 
less than a human sacrifice to sensual indulgence, remove the only check 
that, in a country -without religion, can exist to illicit intercourse. There 
is, then, far more libertinage in France than in any other civilized country 
in Europe." 



FRANCE. 237 



bridal, at the burial, above all, at the revolution. Mark as he 
cries — ' Vive la France/ Vive la liberty/' and he rushes on the 
bayonet, he jumps upon the cannon, he laughs at death, he fears 
nothing but a shower of rain, and was ever found invincible until 
Marshal Lobau appeared against him with a water-engine. (He 
is not extinguished yet — the last revolution was his work.) Such 
is 'the gamin' of Paris, who, in common with the gods, enjoys 
the privilege of perpetual youth. Young at the ' League,' young 
at the ' Fronde,' young at 1789, young in 1830 (young at 1848), 
always young, and always first when there is a frolic or adventure, 
for the character of the Parisian is the character of 'youth, gay, 
careless, brave, at all ages ; he is more than ever gay, and care- 
less, and brave when he is young. Such is the ' gamin' of Paris ; 
and in spite of his follies and his fickleness, there is something in 
the rags darkened by gunpowder, in the garment torn by the 
sword and pierced by the ball, that a foreigner respects. But 
who is that young man fantastically attired, a buffoon at the car- 
nival, a jockey at the race-course — the beloved of prostitutes and 
parasites, gorged with the gluttony of pleasure, besmeared with 
the dirt of brothels and debauch ? * * * 

" But let us turn from these windows where you see the light 
and music, and champagne, and tumult, to yon dim and learned 
square, overshadowed by the Sorbonne. There, opposite the 
miserable building, there is a small, but clean and neat ' restau- 
rant.' Enter between three and four o'clock, and take your seat 
at one of the small tables, the greater number of which are already 
occupied. To your right there is a pale young man ; his long hair, 
falling loosely over his face, gives an additional wildness to the 
eye, which has caught a mysterious light from the midnight vigil ; 
his clothes are clean and threadbare, his coat too short at the 
wrists, his trowsers too short at the legs ; his cravat, of a rusty 
black, and vaguely confining two immense shirt-collars, leaves his 
thin and angular neck almost entirely exposed. To your left is 
the native of the South, pale and swarthy ; his long black locks, 
parted from his forehead, descend upon his shoulders, his lip is 
fringed with a slight ' moustache,' and the semblance of a beard 
gives to his meditative countenance an antique and apostolic cast. 
Ranged round the room, with their meager portions of meat and 
bread, their pale decanter of water before them, sit the students, 
whom a youth of poverty and privation is preparing for a life of 
energy or science. With them is the future : but where is the 
past ? Come with me, reader — it is our last pilgrimage — come 
with me to that spot (Pere la Chaise) where, unhallowed as the 
flame that gleams above corruption, an unnatural gayety lives 



238 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



among the dead ; come "with me to those tombs fantastically ar- 
ranged, where a frivolous affection miserably displays itself in 
hanging an artificial garland, bought at the gate for two ' sous,' 
upon the tomb of the lover who was adored ! There lie Abelard 
and Heloise, the monk and his mistress ; how many thoughts, 
customs, doctrines, chances, changes, revolutions, in that sepul- 
cher ! * * There is Massena, general of the Empire — 
Foy. statesman of the Restoration ; for yonder cemetery, opened 
only twenty years ago, already contains two dynasties. But pass 
through the crowd of pyramids, obelisks, mounds, columns, that 
surround you on either side ; turn from the tombs that are yet 
fresh, and look down from yonder elevation on the monuments 
that mingle ages ! What a mass of history is there ! Behold the 
ruins of that palace, built for the modern King of Rome ! behold 
the statue of St. Louis, the statue of Bonaparte ! Look for the 
site of the temple of Jupiter, for the house of Ninon de l'Enclos, 
for the apartment of Danton, the palace of Richelieu ! 

" Let your imagination darken that river (the Seine) by the 
overshadowing gloom of the wood, sacred to the weird mysteries 
of Druidical superstition ; lead through the narrow streets of yon- 
der isle the gay procession of Bacchus and of Ceres ; people the 
city that I see with the flitting and intermingling figures of cowled 
monks and steel-armed warriors ; paint the tumults of the League, 
the massacre of St. Bartholomew ; paint Charles with the fatal 
arquebuse in his hand, at yonder window, and the Seine red and 
tumid with Protestant blood ; behold the parliament, stiff and 
somber, marching on foot to the Palais Cardinal in deliverance of 
Broussel, and the town distracted with the fetes, and the duels, 
and the ambition, and the quarrels of the gay and noble cavaliers 
of that courtly and gallant time ! And now see the stalls of the 
Rue Quincampoix, miserable exhibition of the degraded chivalry 
of France ; and, lo ! Mirabeau in the tribune, Lafayette on his 
white horse in the Champ de Mars ; Napoleon returning from 
Egypt, and walking to the Institute ; the Grande Armee, drawn 
up on the Place du Carrousel ; the Cossacks, encamped on the 
Champs-Elysees ; the Garde Royale flying from the Louvre, and 
the Garde Nationale reviewing on the Boulevards !" 

(We continue the strange drama, as it were comedy and tra- 
gedy mingled together.) For what see we once more ? Louis 
Philippe, " the citizen King," driven from his palace by a hand- 
ful of rioters, the throne burnt in the street, and the rabble shout- 
ing "Vive la Liberty/ Vive la Rtpublique /" France revolu- 
tionized — Lamartine, Ledru Rollin, controlling the popular will ; 
the Provisional Government formed — the Provisional Government 



FKAlSrCE. 



•2 30 



contemned ! Brother fighting with brother, patriot with patriot, 
in the streets of Paris ! Cavaignac appointed Dictator — Cavaignac 
rejected ! The Republic proclaimed, and Louis Napoleon, nephew 
of " Napoleon le Grand," charlatan and hero, elected President! 
And, lo ! strangest sight of all, the " Republique" devouring it- 
self, and preparing the way for — we know not what ! 

Still it must be confessed that France, while losing much, has 
gained something by her revolutions, and that is, experience. 
Reform, Ave trust, will follow. With her high endowments and 
ample facilities, she ought to advance in the career of social and 
moral improvement. The people, it is said, are tired of negations. 
They are beginning to be disgusted with their atheism ; many 
long for order, purity, and repose. Whether, therefore, the Re- 
public be continued or not, we trust a true and rational freedom 
will be the gainer in the end. 




Place Vendome, Paris, 



240 



THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



CHAPTER XVIII, 



GERMANY, 




Ehrenbreitstein. 



Before entering Germany proper, we will take a rapid glimpse 
of Holland and Belgium. We can pass, by diligence or other- 
wise, from Paris to Cologne, on the Rhine, and thence descend 
to the low but highly cultivated country which the industrious 
Dutch have reclaimed from the sea. The whole region is flat 
and low, the greater portion of it lying beneath the level of* the 
sea. Ascending one of the steeples of Amsterdam, or Rotter- 
dam, famous old cities, rich in industry and commercial wealth, 
the eye ranges over a sea or lake like plain, intersected by dikes 
and canals, deep-green meadows with browsing cattle, cities, 
towns, villages, and detached houses, many of them " bosomed 



GEEMANY. 241 



low mid tufted trees." Innumerable boats and vessels are gliding 
along the canals, or lying among the wharves of the busy cities, 
giving to the scene a peculiar animation, which greatly relieves 
what would otherwise be a wearisome monotony. One of the 
most striking things in Holland is the enormous dikes erected 
along the coast, built chiefly of clay, with other materials to keep 
them together, about thirty feet high, and seventy feet wide at the 
bottom, and employing more men annually than all the corn of 
Holland can maintain. 

The houses and other buildings in the principal cities, and in- 
deed throughout the country, are built upon piles, many of them 
of wood, gayly painted with divers colors. Amsterdam, the capi- 
tal, is one of the principal cities of Europe, and has no less than 
280 bridges, and a population of 200,000 souls. Rotterdam, 
with its lofty houses and projecting stories, most of them built of 
very small bricks, has a population of 66,000, and is justly proud 
of the beautiful bronze statue erected to the memory of their 
learned townsman, the celebrated Erasmus. Leyden, upon the 
Rhine, is the seat of a famous university, whose scholars are 
among the first in the world. 

Holland is essentially a maritime country, and at one time ruled 
the commerce of the seas. Its commerce is yet quite extensive, 
though diminished by competition with the English and others. 
The people, proverbially solid and slow, are distinguished for in- 
dustry, talent, and enterprise. Their houses and furniture are neat 
and clean. Every article of domestic use, the bricks upon the 
floor, and the tiles around the stove, shine with burnished beauty. 
The whole country is well supplied with schools and churches. 
The religion is Protestant, and though originally Calvinistic, has 
been much modified by the teachings of the celebrated Arminius. 
Somewhat formal and intolerant, it yet contains the great elements 
of trujth and duty. Skating and dancing are the popular amuse- 
ments. Smoking and beer- drinking are nearly universal. The 
Hollanders, however, are staid and sober, fond of home and do- 
mestic quiet. Their dress is quaint and " massive," though the 
higher classes follow French fashions. 

Proverbially cold and dull as we deem the inhabitants of 
Holland, they are not without refinement and enthusiasm. Their 
literature is ample, and, to some extent, elegant. Some of their 
poets have exhibited high genius and refinement. The Dutch 
tongue, i aw -breaking as it seems, has been molded into forms of 
ideal beauty and harmony. The " Summer Morning Song of 
Tollens has a fine lyric glow. It commences in the following 
strain : 

11 



242 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



" Up, sleeper 1 dreamer, up ! for now 
There's gold upon the mountain's brow — 

There's light on forests, lakes, and meadows — 
The dew-drops shine on floweret bells — 
The village clock of morning tells. 
Up, men ! out, cattle ! for the dells 

And dingles teem with shadows." 

" The Nightingale," by Loots, would do honor to Campbell or 
Moore. 

" Soul of living music ! teach me, 

Teach me, floating thus along ! 
Love-sick warbler ! come and reach me, 

With the secrets of thy song ! 
How thy beak, so sweetly trembling, 

On one note long lingering tries — 
Or, a thousand tones assembling, 

Pours the rush of harmonies !'' 

Holland is celebrated for the cultivation of flowers, especially 
of tulips, which are an article of commerce. A> singular " tulip 
mania raged throughout this country in the middle of the seven- 
teenth century, turning the brain of almost every man, woman, and 
child among the otherwise sober-minded and plodding Dutch. All 
industry gave way to speculation in tulips. The mania increased 
rapidly ; prices went up higher every day ; vast fortunes were 
invested, and Holland became a huge tulip-garden. One author 
wrote a folio volume of a thousand pages on the subject ! A sin- 
gle bulb, of the species called viceroy, was sold for a silver drink - 
ing-cup, a suit of clothes, a complete bed, a thousand pounds of 
cheese, two tons of butter, four tuns of beer, two hogsheads of 
wine, twelve fat sheep, eight fat swine, four fat oxen, four lasts of 
rye, and two lasts of wheat, all valued at 2500 florins. Tulip 
marts were established in all the cities. Tulip stock was quoted 
on the exchange like bank stock, and tulip-jobbers every where 
speculated in the rise and. fall. ' Every body,' says Mackay, 
' imagined that the passion for tulips would last forever, and that 
the wealthy from every part of the world would send to Holland, 
and pay whatever prices were asked for them. Nobles, citizens, 
farmers, mechanics, seamen, footmen, maid-servants, even chim- 
ney-sweeps and old clothes women, dabbled in tulips. People of 
all grades converted their property into cash, and invested it in 
flowers. Houses and lands were offered for sale at ruinously low 
prices, or assigned in payment of bargains made at the tulip mart. 
Foreigners became smitten with the same frenzy, and money 
poured into Holland from all directions. The prices of the neces- 



GERMANY. 243 



saries of life rose again by degrees ; houses and lands, horses and 
carriages, and luxuries of every sort, rose in value with them, and 
for some months Holland seemed the very ante-chamber of Plutus.' 
The mania, however, came to an end. The folly ceased. Prices 
fell. Confidence fled. Defaults of payment grew common. The 
bulbs remained, but without value. The cry of distress was heard 
every where. A few had become rich, the many impoverished. 
Original obscurity settled down upon the temporarily fortunate, 
and beggary, with its train of demoralization, covered the land. 
Such was the tulip mania, and its consequences." 

To the south of Holland, on the Scheldt and the Maese, lies the 
kingdom of Belgium, which, though Catholic, is becoming more 
and more liberal under its enlightened statesmen and sensible 
monarch. The Catholic clergy, indeed, have violently opposed 
all reform, and endeavored to keep the people in ignorance and 
subjection, but the liberal party have obtained the victory. Bel- 
gium is famous for its manufactures, especially of linen and woolen. 
Brussels, Antwerp, and Bruges, contain some fine old buildings, 
and many rich paintings, from the pencils of Rubens and Vandyke, 
of whom their countrymen are justly proud. The amusements 
are similar to those of Holland, modified by an infusion of the 
French spirit. The great Flemish kermes, or fairs, anciently sub- 
servient to commerce, still exist as festivals, at which there is a 
striking display of grotesque humor, such as we see depicted in 
the old Flemish paintings. 

But we will ascend the Rhine, a commonplace liver enough 
for some distance, though full of life and animation, from its ex- 
tensive commerce, but becoming more and more attractive as you 
penetrate into the heart of the country. Indeed, the Rhine, " the 
glorious Rhine," as they fondly call it, is the great favorite of the 
Germans. It reminds one of the Connecticut, passing "in glory 
and in joy" amid its green hills and vales, with here and there 
high rocks, mountains, and forests. All that the Connecticut 
wants to make it an exact counterpart of the Rhine is a deeper 
channel, and on its rocky banks, or green acclivities, at short in- 
tervals, an abbey, a castle, or a castled wall, covered with the 
hoary memories of the Middle Ages. Owing to this, and things 
of a similar character, the Rhine possesses a peculiar charm. Its 
vine-covered banks and castled crags every where are invested 
with the glories of poetry and romance. 

" A blending of all beauties : streams and dells, 
Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, corn-field, mountain, vine, 
And chiefless castles, breathing stern farewells 
From gray but leafy walls, where Ruin greenly dwells. 



244 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



The negligently grand, the fruitful bloom 

Of coming ripeness, the white city's sheen, 

The rolling stream, the precipice's gloom, 

The forest's growth, and Gothic walls between, 

The wild rocks, shaped as they had turrets been, 

In mockery of man's art ; and these withal 

A race of faces happy as the scene 

Whose fertile bounties here extend to all, 

Still springing o'er thy banks, though empires near frhem fall." 

We leave Cologne behind us, with its time-worn cathedral, and 
pass by the craggy Drachenfels, or Dragon Rock, whose precipi- 
ces shoot up from the river, crowned with an antique ruin, so 
finely described by Byron : 

" The castled crag of Drachenfels 

Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine, 
"Whose breast of waters broadly swells 

Between the banks which bear the vine, 
And hills all rich with blossom'd trees, 

And fields which promise corn and wine, 
And scattered cities crowning these, 

Whose far white walls along them shine, 
Have strew'd a scene, which I should see 
With double joy wert thou with me. 

And peasant girls, with deep-blue eyes, 

And hands which offer early flowers, 
Walk smiling o'er this paradise ; 

Above the frequent feudal towers, 
Through green leaves lift their walls of gray, 

And many a rock which steeply towers 
And noble arch in proud decay, 

Look o'er this vale of vintage bowers, 
But one thing want these banks of Rhine — 
Thy gentle hand to clasp in mine. 

The river nobly foams and flows, 

The charm of this enchanted ground, 
And all its thousand turns disclose 

Some fresher beauty varying round : 
The haughtiest breast its wish might bound 

Through life to dwell delighted here ; 
Nor could on earth a spot be found 

To nature and to me so dear, 
Could thy dear eyes, in following mine, 
Still sweeten more these banks of Rhine." 

Not far from this is the ancient city of Bonn, with its well- 
known university, where the venerable William Schlegel, one of 
the greatest scholars of Germany, and the translator of Shak- 
speare into the German tongue, enjoys a green old age. 



GERMANY. 245 



Gliding along, with the sheen of a soft autumnal day shining 
down upon us, and covering rock, tower, vineyard, and cottage 
with radiant glory, we reach Coblentz, near the junction of the 
Moselle and the Rhine, surrounded by a landscape of rare and 
varied beauty, and guarded by the lofty Ehrenbreitstein, 

" With her shattered wall 
Black with the miner's blast, upon her hight 
Yet shows of what she was, when shell and ball 
Rebounding idly on her strength did light 
A tower of victory, from whence the flight 
Of baffled foes was watch'd along the plain." 

From Coblentz, the steamer conveys us and her load of lively 
passengers, mostly Germans, and a sprinkling of Swiss, French, 
and English, some fifty miles or more, to Mayence, noticing many 
points of interest on our way, and especially the spot where Blii- 
cher crossed the Rhine with his army, on New year's night, 1814. 
It was from the hights above that the view of the Rhine first 
burst upon the Prussians, and drew forth one simultaneous and 
exulting cry of triumph. " To the Germans of every age," says 
one, "this great river has been the object of an affection and 
reverence scarcely inferior to that with which an Egyptian con- 
templates the Nile, or the Indian the Ganges. When these brave 
bands, having achieved the rescue of their native soil, came in 
sight of this its ancient landscape, the burden of a hundred songs, 
they knelt and shouted ' the Rhine ! the Rhine ! ' as with the 
heart and voice of one man. They that were behind rushed on, 
hearing the cry, in expectation of another battle." 

Mayence is an old fortified city, lying on the left bank of the 
Rhine, nearly opposite the junction of the Maine, famous for its 
ancient cathedral of the tenth century, the first archbishop of 
which, it is said, was Boniface, an Englishman, who, with eleven 
other monks of his countrymen, left his native land to preach the 
Gospel to the barbarous nations of Germany, converting in his 
mission more than a hundred thousand heathen, and becoming 
the apostle of Germany ; but this city is famous especially as the 
cradle of the art of printing. In one of the squares may be seen 
the superb bronze statue, by Thorswalden, of Guttemberg, or more 
properly, John Gensfieisch (Goosejlesh), the discoverer or inventor 
of movable types. 

We will not at present ascend the Rhine further. We should 
like to visit Manheim, and, across the country to the right, the 
beautiful Heidelberg, on the banks of the Neckar, from which, 
coming back to the Rhine again, we might visit Strasburg and 



246 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



Basle, and thence penetrate into the mountains of Switzerland. 
But this we may do by-and-by. In the mean while we will cross 
the river from Mayence (or Mentz, as it was anciently spelt), 
by a bridge of boats, and thence, by a short railroad, gain the 
free city of Frankfort, famous for its fairs and diets, and peculiarly 
renowned as the birth-place of the poet Goethe. The house 
where he was born still stands, and in one of the city halls, I 
think near the banks of the Maine, he may be seen in marble, a 
majestic old man, in a sitting posture. Here, also, they show 
Luther's shoes, hard and solid, "in which," they say, "the im- 
mortal Reformer walked to the Diet of Worms, bidding calm defi- 
ance to all the kings, priests, and devils of Christendom. In 
Frankfort, also, we may visit the " Ariadne" of the gentle and en- 
thusiastic Dannecker, one of the best sculptors in Germany, whose 
Christ, combining in a remarkable degree the human and the di- 
vine, is world-renowned. The model, we believe, is in one of the 
churches of Stuttgard, on the Neckar, but the statue itself is in 
St. Petersburg. Dannecker was a true German, simple and 
etherial, with a soul all aglow Avith devotion. He believed him- 
self inspired by a divine afflatus to form his statue of the Christ. 
When he presented a rude clay model to a child, though it had 
none of the usual accompaniments, the glory, or the crown of 
thorns, the child instantly exclaimed, " The Redeemer /" The 
inscription on the pedestal gives the idea which the artist wished 
to embody in this remarkable statue : Through me to the Father. 

But we take the Schnellpost (the fast mail-coach, though rather 
slow than fast) to Leipsic, passing part of the way through the 
Thuringian forest ; and not failing to visit Eisenach and Erfurt, 
connected as they are with the memory of Luther, and some of 
the most thrilling passages in German history. Near the village 
of Eisenach is a lofty conical hill, green to the top, and overlook- 
ing the verdant ranges of the Thurino-ian forest. This is the castle 
of Wartburg, in which Luther found refuge so long, and where 
he translated a part of the Holy Scriptures. In the castle are 
shown his room, his table, chair, and inkstand, and other interest- 
ing memorials of the glorious Reformer. 

To understand German history and German character, one must 
understand Luther. The evidences of his genius and moral power 
meet you every where in her annals and literature. Indeed, 
Luther, to a great extent, is the genius of the Teutonic people, 
the real tutelar saint of the German Vaterland. His translation 
of the Bible, one of the best that was ever made, gave tone and 
character to the German tongue, and modified the whole character 
of the German people. In this same Eisenach, a few years ago, 



GERMAN r. 



247 



was celebrated the anniversary of Luther's birth. Thousands 
flocked from all parts of Germany, and some even from Switzer- 
land, students, clergymen, and civilians. They marched through 
the streets of Eisenach, singing lofty hymns in honor of the great 
Reformer ; they ascended the castle of Wartburg, joyfully inspect- 
ing the memorials of his sojourn there, pronounced eulogies on his 
memory, and exhorted one another to maintain the honor of their 
fatherland. 




House where Luther was born. 



At Erfurt may be seen, in the church of the Augustines, the 
altar at which Luther said mass when a German priest, and in 
the neighboring convent the cell where he wrote and prayed, and 
found peace in believing ; and the long corridor through which 
he used to walk, meditating on things divine, after he had found 
an unexpected copy of the Scriptures. A brave, energetic man 
was Luther, full of faith and divine energy, occasionally violent 
and impulsive, and, like other great men, not without errors and 
failings, but honest, earnest, hearty, jovial even at times, and mas- 



248 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



ter of a homely but soul-thrilling- eloquence. At Wittembenr they 
show his singing-book (Gesang-Buch), for he was fond of music 
and not only made it, but sung it with all his heart ; and besides 
this, his capacious beer-cup, in which he drowned his honest thirst 
and pledged his friends, Jonas, Cruciger, and Melancthon, the 
Elector of Saxony, and others whom he dearly loved. A true 
German, that is, as the word originally denotes, a heroic, or fight- 
ing man, with his great burly figure, bright eye and generous 
ueart, which never quailed in the cause of truth and duty 




The House where Luther died. 



As we pass along, Weimar, capital of the grand duchy of Saxe 
Weimar, detains us, at least for a few hours, for here lived Goethe, 
Schiller, and Herder, and hither came all the wits and great men 
of Germany, to salute these famous poets and scholars. Here 
also are the graves of Goethe and Schiller, and, we believe, of 
Wieland, poets of the highest order, who have stamped their genius 
upon their native land. Goethe was cold, indeed, perhaps skep- 
tical and selfish, yet a wonderful man, an artist and a thinker of 
commanding power and exquisite polish. Our favorite, however, 



GERMANY. 249 



is Schiller, the noble-hearted, the generous, the heroic " poet- 
man." 

But time presses, and we are wandering through the streets of 
Leipsic, a large, busy city, surrounded by a magnificent prome- 
nade, adorned with trees, fountains, and statuary, and famous for 
its printing-presses, books, and fairs. Never was such a book- 
making, book-reading people as the Germans. Their fecundity 
in this line is enormous. But books are types of civilization, and 
in this respect the Germans may be regarded as the most enlight- 
ened people in the world. Inferior to the Americans in enterprise, 
and to the English in practical affairs, they are superior to them 
both in learning. England, indeed, has gone before Germany in 
science, and in certain departments of literature ; for Germany has 
no Newton, no Shakspeare or Milton ; but in solid learning, in the 
knowledge of languages, in profound and elaborate philosophical, 
historical, and philological research, Germany has no superior. 
It is true, the German thinkers, Kant, Schelling, Fichte, and He- 
gel, have fallen into the grossest extravagances. Their very sub- 
til ty runs into wild and dangerous speculations; as if, somehow, 
the German mind was constitutionally misty and transcendental, 
as if " it were too much even for itself !" After all, the Germans 
are wonderful thinkers, wonderful writers, and wonderful readers, 
as their books, on Leipsic book-shelves, or at Leipsic fairs, "thick 
as the leaves in Vallombrosa," abundantly testify. Their grand 
difficulty, however, lies in the want of practical good sense. The 
notions and theories of some of their greatest and best men are 
visionary and absurd, and alas ! have nearly blotted out the very 
idea of God, of Christ, and of heaven from the hearts of thousands. 
Hence it has become a sort of proverb, that " the English have 
the empire of the sea, the French of the earth, and the Germans 
of the air !" Upon this point one of their own number has testi- 
fied as follows : 

"Many of the learned men in Germany are, indeed, distin- 
guished for their attainments in literature and science, but in gen- 
eral only in philology, history, pathology, and other branches of 
medical science, jurisprudence, mineralogy, and metallurgy • while 
in nearly all other scientific branches, the learned men of other 
European countries rival, and, in some points, far excel them. 
This deficiency is chiefly owing to the unlucky tendency to bibli- 
olatry (book-idolatry) which much prevails among the German 
scholars. They are more or less filled with the wrong idea, that 
all and every knowledge may be acquired from books. There are, 
indeed, many sciences which must be learned chiefly from printed 
books ; but, in addition to study, the open book of practical life is 

11*. 



250 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



indispensable to the attainment of a sound judgment. About 
eighty years ago it became fashionable to babble after the manner 
of atheistical philosophers of the Voltaire school, and since that 
time not only rationalism sprung up in the province of theology, 
but also other theories and hypotheses of the most nonsensical 
kind were brought forward in Germany. Thus, for instance, one 
scholar, named Ballenstadt, pretended that the human race had 
sprung from a primitive slime or mud, that had been quickened 
by electric flashes and thunder-claps ; another, of the name of 
Wagner, has, by a profound study in his closet, discovered that 
our globe is an animal, whose sweat presents itself in the evapo- 
ration of the waters, whilst its circulation of the blood makes itself 
known by the t.ide ! Even in recent times, several German ra- 
tionalists harbor the opinion, that man is properly nothing else 
but' a monkey fully developed, and has descended either from the 
orang-outang in Borneo, or from the Boggo (Pan Africanus) in 
Guinea !_.*** How far the construction of philosophical 
systems in Germany has gone may be inferred from the fact, 
that M. Michelet, professor of philosophy in the University of 
Berlin, boldly maintains in his works and lectures the following 
proposition : — ' what we call God, is nothing else but human cul 
ture in its highest potency !' " 

It is said that the sublime just borders on the ridiculous ; in 
the same way, one might conclude, from the aberrations of the 
German philosophy, that the profound lies on the very brink of 
the absurd. 

But we must not leave Leipsic without visiting Schiller's cot- 
tage, for he long lived in the immediate vicinity, just beyond the 
city walls, in a charming retreat, of which we borrow the follow- 
ing description : 

" Those who have resided for any time in Leipsic, will know 
how pleasant a walk it is to turn off from the public promenade, 
and, passing over the bridge at the bead of Frankfurter Strasse, 
to go through the Rosenthals, to the little village of Gohlis. The 
Rosenthals is an extensive park, partly natural and partly artificial, 
covering the southwestern suburbs of the city. It consists simply 
of well-grown thrifty trees and level green-swards, with here and 
there openings in the wood to reveal a pleasant landscape, and 
now and then a rustic seat, to invite a moment's quiet repose. 
Thus, almost by a step, you are out of the bustling and dusty city, 
and breathing the pure and healthful atmosphere of nature. From 
the extent of the woods, the crowd which may enter it with you 
is soon scattered thinly over its face, and your thoughts need 
suffer no disturbance if, now and then, you should meet a company 



GEEMANY. 251 



of light-hearted students, pass by a bevy of whispering school- 
girls, or overtake a feeble white-haired valetudinarian, or even en- 
counter the brown-cheeked forest-keeper himself, who, with his 
green frock and short carabine, strides with a swift and free pace 
through his leafy domain. Here the birds, unterrified by the shot 
of the hunter, hold their continual revelry ; and here, for the first 
time, I heard the nightingale sing. Its tone is full and sound, 
and as clear as the undulating echo of a silver bell. It has con- 
siderable variety, but its chief chord is a sort of protracted melan- 
choly peep, which, heard in the haze of the twilight when the bird 
commences to sing, hightens and falls in with that tender and 
meditative vein, usually induced upon us at this peaceful hour. 
After having traversed this pleasant wood, you reach a little 
bridge, by whose side stands an old mill through whose wheels 
the water rushes swiftly. A step beyond this is the village of 
Gohlis, and in a narrow lane of this village, a little removed from 
the road, stands a dwelling which goes by the name of ' Schiller's 
cottage.' It is so modest, so humble, that it hardly seems to 
dare to look over the tall stone fence and lordly gate which mod- 
ern respect and enthusiasm have erected before it. Its narrow 
face of rude mortar is covered with a creeping vine, and over two 
little windows which peep out from under the sharply slanting 
voof, catching the rays of the evening sun, are written the words 
' Schiller's studs.' The gate itself bears this inscription : 

'Here dwelt 

Schiller, 

and wrote his " Songs of Joy," 

in the year 

1185.' 

How simple and touching a moral is here ! In poverty, in dis- 
tress, in want of friends and bread, as yet unrenowned, as yet un- 
patronized by dukes, and solicited by kings, an exile, a stranger, 
'here dwelt Schiller, and wrote his Songs of Joy.' Blessed be 
the spirit of poetry, which can thus change sorrow into rejoicing. 
Next to the glorious Hope, whose deep consolation ' passeth all 
understanding,' this spirit of ideal beauty and happiness, this in- 
ward power of investing the outward life and its changing circum- 
stances with hues of light and joy, this is the best gift of God to 
man. 0, let us not despise the poet. His mission is holy. He 
teaches us to see fresh beauty in the works and ways of God, to 
wear the fetters of care more lightly about us, and to find roses 
in the rockiest path that duty and affliction ever trod." 

Leipsic has a celebrated university, the oldest in Germany, after 



252 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



that of Prague, with some sixty professors, and from 1200 to 1400 
students ; hut we have not time to examine it. 

From Leipsic we journey, through a well -cultivated country, to 
Dresden, the capital of Saxony, well known for the beauty of its 
situation, the elegance of its buildings, and the richness of its pic- 
ture-galleries, all open to the inspection of the public. . Dresden 
was named by Herder " the German Florence," and it well de- 
serves the title. It is the residence of many men of learning and 
talent, among whom are the poets Tieck and Tiedge, the physiolo- 
gist Carus, the artist Retzch, who has illustrated Goethe's Faust, 
Vogel, and other artists. The King of Saxony is a Catholic, but 
the people are Protestants, and, upon the whole, enjoy much sub- 
stantial happiness. In the public gardens and rural retreats in 
and around the city, thousands of the people, on a summer even- 
ing, may be seen, some sitting, others standing, others strolling, 
others again dancing, and others amusing themselves in various 
ways under the branches of the green trees. 

Leaving Saxony, famous for its beautiful sheep, elegant manu- 
factures, and general intelligence, we pursue our way, through 
the heart of Germany, in the direction of Berlin, the capital of 
Prussia. 

Upon the whole, Germany may be described as a charming 
country, though somewhat level and monotonous in the central 
and northern parts. The south is the most picturesque and beau- 
tiful, especially along the banks of the Rhine, the Neckar, and the 
Moselle. Saxon Switzerland is spoken of as peculiarly delightful, 
from the bold and picturesque variety of the scenery. Forests, 
though gradually diminishing in extent by the demand for wood, 
here and there darken, while they beautify, the landscape. The 
Hartz Mountains are famous in song and story. But the country 
generally is not as attractive as England ; much of it is rather arid 
and level. Agriculture is in a fair condition. But one misses the 
pretty cottages and farm-houses of England or of the United 
States. The peasantry, and even the landlords, live huddled to- 
gether, in villages or cities. The fields are divided off by trees or 
other fences into regular squares, or at least with a great appear- 
ance of uniformity. The roads, however, are pleasantly lined 
with fruit and forest trees, and many of the villages have a quiet 
beauty. 

The most peculiar and attractive feature in the external aspect 
of Germany is the presence, here and there, in town and country, 
of mediaeval and other ancient architecture. The hoary past is 
blended with the youthful present. Old castles cover the slopes 
of vine-clad hills. Venerable abbeys and magnificent cathedrals, 



GERMANY. 



253 



high-roofed houses and castellated walls, mingle with green trees 
and smiling meadows. Many of the cities have a peculiarly an- 
tique and romantic air. Their high walls, Gothic churches, rook- 
haunted belfries, carved fountains, and decorated town-halls, are 
"redolent" of ancient memories. Thus, Strasburg, though be- 
longing to France, yet a German city, boasts her lofty and ex- 




quisitely graceful cathedral, with its wonderful clock, visited by 
thousands every day of the year, particularly at 12 A. M., when 
the brazen cock on the top crows three times, loud and clear, in 
memory of St. Peter's denial of his Master. Enter Heidelberg, 
and while you are struck with the extreme beauty of its situation, 
lying as it does in the fair valley of the Neckar, and guarded by 



254 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



wood-crowned hills on which the sunshine sleeps lovingly, you 
are attracted chiefly by the old Ducal Castle, whose frowning bat- 
tlements overlook the city from their leafy retreat on the sides of 
the mountain. Erfurt and Eisenach, Eisleben and Wittemberg, 
Worms and Wurtzburg, all contain monuments, not only of the 
Middle Ages, but of the times of the Reformation. Every where, 
graves, monuments, and churches remind us of the stormy times 
of "long, long ago." The city of Nuremberg is, for this reason, 
one of the most interesting in Germany. Its whole aspect be- 
longs to the Middle Ages. Nothing can be conceived more quaint, 
curious, and poetical. It brings back the days of the ancient 
burghers, of the guilds and Corporations, the Meistersingers and 
Minnesingers of a bygone era. Hence the beauty and force of 
Longfellow's admirable description : 

" In the valley of the Pegnitz, "where, across broad meadow-lands, 
Rise the blue Franconian mountains, Nuremberg the ancient stands. 
Quaint old town of toil and traffic, quaint old town of art and song, 
Memories haunt thy pointed gables like the rooks that round thee throng ; 
Memories of the Middle Ages, when the emperors, rough and bold, 
Had their dwelling in thy Castle, time-defying, centuries old. 
And thy grave and thrifty burghers boasted in their uncouth rhyme 
That their great imperial city stretched its hand through every clime. 
In the court-yard of the Castle, bound with many an iron band, 
Stands the mighty linden planted by Queen Lunigunde's hand. 
On the square the oriel window, where, in old heroic days, 
Sat the poet Melchior, singing Kaiser Maximilian's praise. 
Every where I see around me rise the wondrous works of art, 
Fountains wrought with richest sculpture, standing in the common mart; 
And above cathedral doorways saints and bishops, carved in stone, 
By a former age commissioned as apostles of our own. 

* * * * 

Here, where art was still religion, with a simple, reverent heart, 
Lived and labored Albrecht Diirer, the evangelist of art. 
Here, in silence and in sorrow, toiled he still with busy hand ; 
Like an emigrant he wandered, seeking for the better land. 
' Emigrant' is the inscription on the tombstone where he lies : 
Dead he is not, but departed, for the artist never dies. 

* * # * 

Through these streets so broad and stately, these obscure and dismal lanes, 
"Walked of old the Master-singers, chanting rude poetic rhymes. 

* * * * * 
Here Hans Sachs, the cobbler-poet, laureate of the gentle craft, 
Wisest of the twelve wise masters, in huge folios sung and laughed : 
But liis house is now an ale-house, with a nicely sanded floor, 

And a garland in the window, and his face above the door, 

Painted by some humble artist, as in Adam Puschmann's song, 

As the old man, gray and dovelike, with his great beard white and long." 



GERMANY. 255 



Wittemberg is full of the reminiscences of Luther, Melancthon, 
and their friends the Elector of Saxony, and Lucas Cranach the 
painter ; but Nuremberg every where calls to mind Albrecht 
Diirer and Hans Sachs, the greatest of the Master-singers. 
Though the son of a tailor, and by trade a cobbler, Hans Sachs 
created an era in German poetry, so that even Goethe acknowl- 
edges his obligations to the poet craftsman. Adam Puschmann, 
his friend and contemporary, in a song upon his death, describes 
him as seen in a vision on Christmas eve. "In the midst of the 
garden stood a fair summer-house, wherein there was a hall paved 
with marble, with beautiful escutcheons, and figures bold and 
darincr ; and round about the hall were windows, through which 
were seen the fruits of the .garden without, and in the middle a 
round table, covered with green silk, whereat sat an old man, gray 
and white, and like a dove, and he had a great beard, and read 
in a great book, with golden clasps." 

But we are forgetting ourselves, for we are wandering, not in 
Southern, but in Northern Germany ; and yonder, in a wide plain, 
stands Berlin, the capital of Prussia, a large and handsome city, 
differing in no essential particulars from other large Continental 
cities, and forming a great center for learning, politics, and pleas- 
ure. It has a population of about 300,000, a considerable portion 
of whom are military ; a large and well-endowed university, with 
many learned professors, among whom are Schelling, Neander 
(just deceased), Hengstenberg, and others, with some eighteen 
hundred students ; six royal gymnasiums or high schools, with 
innumerable inferior academies and common schools ; a military 
seminary with 350 pupils ; an orphan asylum with 1200 children, 
700 of whom are boarded out of doors ; forty bridges over the 
Spree, thirty-five churches, innumerable "gin palaces," and a 
registered company (of several thousand) licensed prostitutes ! 

Pass around among the streets and squares, visit the public 
buildings, and particularly the royal palace, the museum, the 
opera-house, the royal library, the theaters, the royal academy, 
the gates and gardens, and you will be struck with the fact that 
the city is under the domination of military government. Every 
where, almost, soldiers are stationed with gun and bayonet, to 
preserve order and keep the peace. Yet the government cannot 
be called a despotism, and the King of Prussia, though guilty of 
great indiscretions, cannot be styled a tyrant. The taxes in Prus- 
sia, and in Germany generally, are low — lower even than in the 
United States. The people are well educated, ample provision 
being made for the instruction of the whole community, and all 
the citizens being compelled to send their children to the common 



256 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



schools. The royal family lives upon its private patrimony, de- 
scended through a long line of ancestors, and does not cost the 
nation a single penny. His majesty of Prussia is considered, by 
those who know him, to be a kind, prudent, well-informed man, 




fi r^"\l ISfc^-P 



and, in his way, sincerely desiring the welfare of his people. 
Why, then, the prevailing discontent and restlessness of the na- 
tion, especially of the common people ? Why the recent revolu- 



GEEMAITT. 257 



tion, crushed by the hoof of military power? Why the banishment 
of some, the imprisonment of others, and the execution of others ? 
And why, finally, this universal display of cannon and soldiery ? 
Simply this — that the government is narrow, timid, and jealous, 
and the people poor and crowded. They imagine, somehow, that 
a republic would cure all the ills that flesh is heir to, and fill at 
once their stomachs and their pockets. The population of Ger- 
many has wonderfully increased within the last twenty-five years. 
Competition in agriculture and trade has also increased ; money 
is scarce, and consequently thousands of the common people are 
all but starving. Kings and rulers there, as elsewhere, are not 
over- wise, and perhaps think more of their own comfort and se- 
curity than of the welfare of the people. Hence exactions and 
executions on the one side, discontent and revolutions on the 
other. 

But the cause of freedom has gained by the late revolutions, 
though the occasion of much public mischief and many mournful 
tragedies. A pretty liberal constitution has been conceded by 
the Prussian government, under which, if generously administered, 
the people may enjoy a high degree of rational freedom. Berlin, 
the scene of strife and blood, is now one of apparent peace and 
gayety ; and if the citizens can only have enough to do and 
enough to eat, we presume they will be pretty quiet for years to 
come. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



GERMANY CONTINUED. 



We have arrived at a point where we can say something of the 
general condition and characteristics of the German people. They 
number, in all, some forty-two millions, most of these being Ger- 
mans proper, and about six or seven millions Slavonians, though 
these generally speak the German tongue. Belonging to different 
empires, duchies, and so forth, the principal of which are Prussia, 
Austria, Saxony, Bavaria, and Wirtemberg, and professing dif- 
ferent religions — those in the South being mostly Catholics, those 
in the North Protestants — they differ somewhat from each other, 
yet have many traits in common. The following, from the 



258 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



poet Tieck, though somewhat enthusiastic, and giving only the 
favorable aspects of the German character, marks some of the 
differences referred to, and is withal a pleasant piece of writing : 

" I would defend against vulgar jeers and jibes the noble race 
of Austrians, who, in their fruitful land and enchanting hills, pre- 
serve unchanged their antique joyousness of heart ; I would praise 
the warlike and pious Bavarians ; paint the friendly, sensible, in- 
ventive Suabians, in the garden of their beautiful country ; the 
animated, gay Franconians, in the romantic, varied scenery of 
their province, of which Bamberg was formerly the German 
Rome ; the intelligent dwellers along the banks of the lordly 
Rhine ; the brave, honest Hessians ; the handsome Thuringians, 
whose forest-clad mountains still wear the character and aspect' of 
knightly times ; the low Germans, who resemble the true-hearted 
Hollander and the energetic Englishman : at every remarkable 
spot of the land of our fathers would I recall ancient histories. 
And thus did I think to wander amid all the hills and valleys of 
our noble country, once so flourishing and so great, watered by 
the Rhine and the Danube, and the stream of old traditions ; 
guarded by lofty mountains, frowning castles, and by the brave 
German heart ; garlanded with green meadows, the abode of love, 
and confidence, and single-mindedness." 

The North of Germany differs much from the South — the 
former is more serious, more thoughtful, and, we think, more 
virtuous ; the other more gay, vivacious, and pleasure-loving. 
The dwellers on " the lordly Rhine," the inhabitants of the free 
cities, such as Frankfort-on-the-Maine and Hamburg-on-the-Elbe, 
the citizens of Berlin, Bonn, Gottingen, Halle, Heidelberg, Leip- 
sic, seats of great universities or centers of business, are the most 
energetic and enterprising. The peasantry generally are quiet 
and laborious, home-loving and peace-loving. Less intelligent 
than the dwellers in cities, they know little and care less for the 
great world around them. 

The learned men of Germany, the great leaders of thought, as 
well as the most active politicians, are to be found in the North. 
Prussia stands highest in education, and in all the means and ap- 
pliances both of common-school and university instruction. Berlin 
abounds with men of learning and genius, though Vienna is by no 
means destitute of these. Most of the distinguished universities 
are in the North. Books, printing-presses, and newspapers are 
found there in the greatest abundance. There also trade and 
commerce chiefly flourish. Poetry and the arts are cultivated 
every where — perhaps flourish most in the South, or rather in 
the middle region, though this might be disputed. The leading 



gekma:nt. 



259 




GEKMAJ5TY. 261 



political powers are Austria and Prussia, the one representing the 
Catholic, the other the Protestant interest. Prussia is compact, 
enlightened, and enterprising. Austria, composed of different 
states and peoples, held together only by the strong hand of 
military power, though larger in territory and population, is infe- 
rior in power and resources. What may be the effect of her 
recent connection with Russia, time only will reveal. 

We have already spoken of the Germans as an honest, earnest, 
brave, and, generally speaking, enlightened people. They excel 
in the arts, in music, sculpture, and painting. Their literature is 
rich and various. Their commerce also is considerable, though 
decidedly inferior to that of England and the United States. 
They are distinguished for mechanical ingenuity, and their manu- 
factures are extensive and various. Sociable and affectionate, 
they love pleasant gatherings, festivals, and merry-makings of 
every kind. They live as much as possible in the open air, and 
enjoy then* pipe, beer, and friendly chat of an evening. Specula- 
tive rather than practical, they fall into all sorts of extravagant 
notions and errors. Religious in their way, many of them pro- 
foundly so, they cherish, too generally, a spirit of skepticism. The 
theories of their philosophers have descended among the common 
people, and the result is the prevalence of atheistic and " radical" 
notions. It seems to us, however, that they only need the right 
kind of moral and religious instruction to become an eminently 
pious, virtuous, and happy people — they are so genial, so earnest 
and cheerful. Truth is dear to them, often dearer than comfort 
and life. One thing, however, we observed with a painful interest 
when traveling in Germany, and that was the exceedingly slender 
attendance at church, whether Catholic or Protestant. A mere 
sprinkling of people would be seen at divine service in the morning, 
while hundreds were setting off for the fields and places of amuse- 
ment ; and in the afternoon towns and villages would almost 
empty themselves, and go forth, often to the sound of merry 
music, to amuse themselves in the country. Such a custom in 
England or the United States would indicate a total indifference 
to religious obligations, and would be followed by the most disas- 
trous results. Doubtless this is the case in Germany also, yet, 
perhaps, owing to the difference of opinion and association of ideas, 
not to the extent which one might suppose. 

Germany abounds in sports, feasts, and festivals. The follow- 
ing, from Mr. Howitt, who spent several years in the country, will 
give some idea of these : 

" The working classes of Germany have not only their out-of- 
door life of labor, but of pleasure too. In town and country they 



282 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



have their dances, balls, and concerts, which will come under the 
head of their social life ; but in the country they have places of 
resort, often in common with the more educated classes, but where 
they alone dance in the open air, and their Kirchweghs or wakes 
are eagerly attended ; and in the summer, are falling out pretty 
frequently within the circuit of a few miles, whither they resort in 
crowds. 

" The Wolfsbrunnen, about a mile out of Heidelberg, is a place 
of great popular resort, and may be taken as a specimen of such 
places, which are to be found all over Germany. It is a little 
woody glen, running up into the hills from the valleys of the 
Neckar. The valley of the Neckar is surrounded with fine woody 
hills, the lower slopes of which are occupied in the national man- 
ner, with vineyards and corn-slopes, while along the banks of the 
river lie cottages and villages, with their gardens and orchards 
about them. A higher road from Heidelberg leads you along the 
mountain- side, a road said formerly to have been a favorite walk 
of Schiller's. It takes you past many cottages nestled in their 
orchards, in little sequestered hollows and green slopes, while 
above you are hights covered with woods, full of rocks, heath, 
and bilberry plants. 

" The Wolfsbrunnen is a brunnen or spring, which is poured 
out into a fountain, and also with little streams from the hills, 
supplying a pond, clear as crystal, and various reservoirs for fish, 
where perhaps one of the most plentiful stocks of fine trout is to 
be seen in the world. Here tradition says that Jetta, a sorceress, 
was wont to live, and was torn to pieces by a wolf. You may 
imagine it, in old times, a dark and shaggy hollow enough for 
such inhabitants, and such a tragedy, but now it is all that is de- 
lightful. There is an inn built by the fountain. It is of wood, 
with outside galleries, so that spectators, on days of particular 
festivity, can stand in great numbers in them and witness what is 
going on below, as well as get a very sweet view across the valley 
of the Neckar. Trees overhang the house and fountain. The 
pond below is overhung with alders. Fine acacias, chestnuts, and 
other trees, render the whole scene bowery and silvan ; and under 
them, and under sheds, stand tables and seats for parties, as in 
and about all such places, and all the country inns of Germany, 
and pretty much as in similar places and tea-gardens about Lon- 
don. Around rise lofty hills and solitary woods. On most days 
in summer, but especially on Sundays and holidays, people flock 
hither both from the town and the country. Groups are found 
sitting at the tables, under the trees and sheds, with wine, beer, 
and pipes, curds, coffee, and other refreshments. Some are stroll- 



GEEMA1STT. 



263 




GERMANY. 265 



ing about the private walks in the woodlands ; some are lying on 
the dry turf of the hill slopes ; and others are looking in admiration 
at the fish and the fountain, the pools, or the little brook beyond. 

" And surely to a fishei*'s eye never did a more transporting 
sight present itself. In the fountain itself you will sometimes see 
more trout, and such trouts ! than you have seen in your life be- 
sides. In the depots, in the pool and brook, you see again hun- 
dreds of noble and beautiful fish floating about in the water, 
which is so clear that you see the whole pool, in a good light, at 
a glance, though some parts of it are deep. The first day that I 
walked there with my two elder boys, they were almost beside 
themselves with delight. The men were weighing out fish for 
some distant market. The fountain was filled with trout of six 
or eight pounds each, such as we had never seen in our lives, for 
there they are fed to this size. They were shoveled up in a hand- 
net from the fountain, as a man would shovel stones, weighed in 
a net hung on a post by the piazza, and were then conveyed in 
tubs to a cellar near, to be kept fresh for sending off. For half 
an hour or more, they kept weighing out these beautiful trout, 
which flounced about in the net in a manner which a fisherman 
would no doubt think very attractive, though to themselves not 
very agreeable. I saw them reckon up one lot in chalk on the 
post to more than a hundred weight, and the whole must have 
been several hundred weight. 

" On Tuesday, the 12th of July, was one pf their wakes or kirch- 
weghs, at the village adjoining, and it was of course a great day 
at the Brunnen. As we dressed in the morning, we saw crowds 
of people going out that way ; young people in their best, and 
musicians with their books and instruments. In the evening we 
walked thither, and a gay scene it was. All along the way par- 
ties were going and coming. They were of all classes, but chiefly 
of those from the tradesmen and their families down to the work- 
ing classes. All were well dressed ; the young shopmen and 
mechanics, of course, imitating the students in dress and manner 
as much as possible ; the young women very well dressed, but 
all without caps or bonnets, as is the universal custom of those 
of the ordinary class. They have generally very well-shaped 
heads of dark glossy hair, which is dressed in a very nice and 
graceful manner, and nothing can be more pleasing than their 
appearance, as they thus walk out into the country, having on 
nothing more than they wear in the house, except a shawl. Many 
of them are pretty, and all, from their simple and out-of-door 
habits, have a clear hue, and tone of health and glad-heartedness 
about them, which is a beauty itself. 

12 



266 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



" As we approached the Brunnen, we saw a dense crowd there. 
The sheds and tables were all occupied. There Avere groups of 
fierce-looking, whiskered, and smoking students ; other groups of 
families, with their choppin or glass-measure of wine, and bread 
and butter, or cheese, and sundry cakes, enjoying themselves in 
quiet as they looked on the gayety around them. The upper out- 
side galleries of the house were filled with gay spectators. Don- 
kies were standing ready saddled for such as chose to hire them 
for the young women returning to the town, and music announced 
that dancing was going on near. This, we found, was in a large 
shed close to the inn. Several of the trout reservoirs were planked 
over to prevent people walking into them, and a throng of gazers 
surrounded the dancing scene. There was a sort of orchestra at 
one end, at which twenty couples were waltzing. It would have 
looked strange in England to see shop-boys and girls, nay, shoe- 
makers' and tailors' apprentices, joiners, smiths, boots, or any body, 
waltzing with their smart- dressed girls in the shed at a country 
wake. It would want but this to put waltzing out of fashion with 
all the other classes of our countrymen. But Germany is the 
country of waltzing ; the waltz is the universal and almost only 
dance of the people, and they could just as well live without to- 
bacco as it. From the highest saloon in Vienna or Berlin, to the 
lowest shed in the village, or to the village green, round spin the 
Germans, and are as happy as if they were in Paradise ; nay, 
what would Paradise be to them without a long pipe, a tall glass 
of beer, a smart girl, and a brisk waltz ? The dancing, indeed, 
here, would not have disgraced a splendid saloon. The dancers 
were, for the most part, people under the middle size, and had 
nothing remarkable in their appearance ; but some of the girls 
were very pretty, and this exercise gave an attractive glow to 
their naturally fresh cheeks. Here and there was a student in 
the circle, dancing with some pretty girl of Heidelberg ; and we 
could not avoid being reminded of Goethe, as he describes himself 
in his life, mixing in such scenes at Frankfort, with the fair girl 
destined afterward to figure as Margaret in Faust. Indeed, what 
writer of Germany has so completely transferred to his works the 
popular life of his country as Goethe has ? His descriptions, 
both of the country and its people, come before one continually 
with a delightful surprise. 

" The dancing here was not carried to that pitch of mad velocity 
which you see in the popular cassinos of Vienna, especially at 
Sperls in the Leopoldstadt, or the Goldene Birne in the Lond- 
strasse, where the same couples will often dance in an enormous 
saloon every tour from seven o'clock in the evening to two or 



GERMANY. 267 



three in the morning, at the most amazing rate ; in fact, whirling 
away like the figures in the hall of Eblis. Different parties here 
went in, danced moderately for a while, and then went out to the 
tables near, to rest and refresh. Among these dancers there 
were occasionally some who could not be seen without a smile. 
One little fellow especially, in a grayish coat, and with a mass of 
hair which completely hid his face, who waltzed in a way that 
would have made even Job in the midst of his potsherds laugh. 
He stuck out his left elbow, and held out his partner's right hand 
in the oddest manner, while he spun about like a penny-piece 
turned on a table, more than a man dancing with a young woman. 

" We were told that the gayety would be kept up till two or 
three o'clock in the morning ; and, in fact, we had evidence of it 
in numbers returning as late as that past our house in full chorus ; 
but great numbers were retiring at the early hour of eight o'clock ; 
and it was a beautiful sight to see them in their gay colors stream- 
ing along the road, which ran between the walnut and other fruit- 
trees, and between the standing corn, now brightening for the 
sickle. The students who had been dancing were now saunter- 
ing back in groups, and a number of handsome girls had also 
mounted the asses, and came galloping them past us, all laughter 
and fun. The whole scene was one that might have given a good 
lesson to the same class in our country on similar occasions. There 
was no drunkenness, no quarreling ; but the Germans, famous in 
all ages for drinking, were gay with wine and youth, and yet 
steering off home in full, though cheerful decorum, to an early 
bed. 

" These kirchweghs, or, as they are in many places corrupted 
to, kervies, or kermes, arrest your attention in every part of the 
country. As you approach a village, you see a tall pole, like our 
May-pole, erected in the center of the village, hung with garlands, 
and hear a hum of music, and the bustle of waltzing feet. The 
general features of a village during this merry-making I can give, 
from what we soon afterward witnessed on the other side of the 
Neckar, at the dorf of Ziegelhausen. A boat went up the river, 
with a band of musicians gayly playing, and all hung with banners 
and garlands. Wagon-loads of people, all singing together, were 
seen advancing on the opposite bank. The ferry-boats were all 
congregated opposite to the village, with garlands hung on poles 
at their prows, busy carrying over people. When we got across, 
we found the whole place alive. Parties were sitting in the 
orchards under the trees, drinking wine with their friends, and, of 
course, smoking. All the public houses had banners and gar- 
lands hanging out from their windows ; their rooms, or temporary 



268 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



booths, erected for the occasion, were decorated with festoons and 
garlands, and were filled with parties whirling away in their ever- 
lasting waltz. The street was filled with streams of promenaders, 
with here and there stalls of toys, gingerbread, &c, as in England 
at a wake — but how different in themselves ! 

" Though the same sort of attractions were provided for the 
children and feast-goers, yet every article was so totally foreign 
and queer. There were trumpets, and wooden horses, and rat- 
tles, and swords, and such like, but they would have made the 
children of England stare at their oddity. Some stalls were cov- 
ered with drinking-glasses, stained of various bright colors, and 
with mottoes on them in gilt letters, as, Zum Andenken Freund- 
schaft — a token of friendship ; cups, and such things. The toys 
were very odd and very cheap ; hussars on horseback, birds, dolls, 
&c; not Dutch, as ours are, but German, and of a most primitive 
German air too. You had a gay toy for nine kreutzers, or three- 
pence, which would have cost a shilling in England. But the 
gingerbread stalls would have amused our young folks the most. 
The gingerbread was all made up into heart-shapes, except a few 
pieces in the form of little pairs of shoes. These hearts of differ- 
ent sizes were painted of different colors, and ornamented with a 
sort of garland-work of some material, to imitate flowers, leaves, 
and gold. On every heart was printed a verse in German, more 
remarkable for the variety of the sentiments than for elegance or 
grammatical correctness. Most of these verses, of course, are ex- 
pressive of love and friendship, and may be presented to young 
damsels very significantly. 

" Every public house, at its kirchwegh, has its cheese-cakes, 
where people go to eat them to their wine ; and in-doors and out, 
people are eating, drinking, dancing, playing, and all is music and 
merriment. Every private house, too, has its feast, its visitors, its 
merriment. The poorest then make a cake, if they do not make 
one through the year besides, and the people from the city walk 
out and fill the houses of their acquaintance, eat and drink with 
them, and then walk back to supper. Monday and Tuesday are 
feast days, but the great holiday is the Sunday. On Tuesday 
they bury the wegh ; that is, all the garlands which had been 
hung up, with much shouting, and drinking, and singing, and 
then close the feast. 

" But we must come to the great and prominent out-of-door life 
of Germany. It is not in riding, fishing, hunting, or in such pub- 
lic games as racing, cricketing, rowing, &c. ; but in the enjoy- 
ment of walking, of public gardens, of coffee and wine-drinking in 
such places, and, above all, in open-air concerts. The enjoyment 



GERMANY. 269 

of music and social pleasures in the open air, is the grand summer 
enjoyment of Germany. It is the universal passion from one end 
of the country to the other. It is the same in every village, in 
every town, in every capital. Public walks, public music, cafes 
and cassinos, coffee and wine-drinking, and smoking and knitting 
under trees, call out the whole population, high and low, great 
and small, old and young ; and there does not seem a care from 
Berlin to Strasburg, from Cologne to Pesth. Nay, much as the 
French live out of doors, the Germans far excel them in this spe- 
cies of life. All their musical art is called forth, and their great- 
est masters are employed, to give a charm to this mode of social 
existence. Every means is adopted to give facility to the enjoy- 
ment of this taste. The heart of the Germans, too, is bound to 
the heart of nature with a deeper and holier feeling than that of 
the French. It is true that they have not that full, and perfect, 
and permanent country life that we have. The habits and insti- 
tutions of their country do not allow it ; but they have not the 
less love of nature than we have, nor do they enjoy it less in their 
way than we do. Nay, in some respects they enjoy it far more, 
for they have taken measures to bring the beauty of nature to 
their very doors, to introduce it into the suburbs and the very 
heart of their towns, and to unite it to all the charms of art and of 
social life. 

" There is one advantage that their towns universally possess 
over ours ; and that is, in the abundance of public walks, and pub- 
lic gardens and promenades, where every citizen can wander, or 
can sit and rejoice with his family and his friends. All round 
their towns, in general, you find these ample public walks and 
promenades planted with trees and furnished with seats. The old 
walls and ramparts, which formerly gave security to the inhabit- 
ants, are now converted into sources of their highest pleasures, 
being thus planted and seated, and made scenes of the gayest re- 
sort, and whence the finest views are obtained over the surround- 
ing country. The suburbs and neighborhood of all large cities, 
again, are full of public gardens ; with alleys and extensive wood- 
land walks, where the people all summer flock out, and find re- 
freshments at coffee-houses, and bands of music, presided over by 
the first masters in Germany. The cities being seldom very large, 
the people thus enjoy a sort of half city, half rural life, but refined 
and beautified with social and artistical influences, of which ours 
is too much stripped. The people have in the outskirts of their 
cities, their vineyards and their summer-houses in them, where 
they can go with their families and friends. But they have, 
again, their great public gardens and woodlands all round their 



2*70 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



large towns, to ten or a dozen miles' distance. They have similar 
places of more rustic resort, often on the most beautiful mountain 
nights, and in mountain valleys, to which they pour out on all 
Sundays and leisure days, in carriages and by railroads, by thou- 
sands. Here they have wine, and curds, and often dinners. 
Here they even come with their families, taking whole troops of 
children with them ; and there you find them in old orchards, 
amid castle ruins, under the trees, and, in short, through all the 
surrounding hills and valleys. They dine in great family groups 
— the men sitting often in their shirt-sleeves ; the children rolling 
in the grass ; and the landlords hurrying about, dealing out plates 
and viands to hungry people, in a broil of what seems hopeless 
hurry. They afterward smoke their pipes, drink their coffee, 
and go home at an early hour as happy as this earth can make 
them. 

" In every country town and village it is the same. You can 
go into few, or none of the former, where you will not find public 
walks and gardens ; and will not hear of charming places, some 
four, six, or ten miles distant, where all the world goes in the 
summer, in parties, to walk about, to drink coffee, or pic-nic in 
the Avoods, and so on. There is not a country inn in a pleasant 
place, but it has its orchard and its garden fitted up with seats 
and tables for this simple, rural festivity. There is not a ruin of 
a castle, or old jager-house, where you do not find walks and 
seats, and every provision for popular enjoyment. Every where 
the Germans have seized on all those picturesque points and 
scenes of rural beauty which afford means of carrying out and 
cultivating this mingled love of nature and of social pleasure. 
You come upon seats in wild spots, where you would otherwise 
never have dreamed of many besides yourself coming, and there 
you are sure to find that before you lies a beautiful view. 

" All royal gardens, too, are open, and the people walk in them, 
and stream around the palaces, passing, in many instances, through 
their very courts and gateways, just as if they were their own. 
Nay, the royal and ducal owners walk about among the people 
with as little ceremony as any of the rest. The Emperor of Aus- 
tria, or the King of Prussia, does the very same. You may meet 
them any where ; and little more ceremony is used toward them 
than is used toward any other individual, simply that of lifting 
your hat in passing, which is done to all your acquaintance, and 
is returned as a mark of ordinary salutation. You will see princes 
sitting in public places with their friends, with a cup of coffee, as 
unassumingly and as little stared at as any respectable citizen, 
You may sometimes see a grand-duke come into a country inn, 



GEEMANY. 271 



call for his glass of ale, drink it, pay for it, and go away as un- 
ceremoniously as yourself. 

% * * #■ % * 

" The same open and general enjoyment of scenery extends to 
all other estates and gardens. The country houses of the nobility 
and gentry are surrounded on all sides with public and private 
walks. They have seldom any fences about any thing but their 
private gardens. The people go and walk every where, and never 
dream of trespassing, nor are ever told of such a thing. This is 
one of the great charms of this country. All woods, with the 
rare exception of a deer park, are thus entirely open and un- 
fenced. You wander where you will, with the most perfect feel- 
ing of giving no offense. Here are no warning-boards, no threats 
of steel-traps or spring-guns. A wisp of straw stuck on a pole, 
the usual sign in Germany of warning, in vintage-time gives you 
notice that a private walk, which all the rest of the year is open, 
is then closed ; or a wisp hung on the bough of a tree in the 
forest, tells you that the common people are not to cut boughs 
there, or that young trees are planted, and you are not to tread 
them down. Every where else, you go where you please, through 
woods, valleys, meadows, gardens, or fields ; and while property 
is sacred to the possessor, nature is, as it should be, unrestrictedly 
yours, and every man's. 

" In this blessed freedom, and with this simple and thorough 
life of nature and society, there is no country in the world where 
social and summer life are more enjoyed than in Germany. You 
are perpetually invited to join a party to a wood-stroll, to go to 
some lovely village in the hills or the forest, or to some old farm- 
house, where you get milk and coffee, and take bread with you, 
perhaps ; Avhere you find a Tanz-boden, or shed, where the young 
people can have a dance ; where the old sit, and look on, and 
smoke, and talk, and knit. Or to some old mill, where you have 
the same accommodations ; or to some inn, on an eminence over- 
looking a splendid country, as that of the Rhine or Danube, and 
where, on the terrace, the whole company will play at those sim- 
ple games so much liked in Germany, as the black man, the blind 
cow, and others ; where all, high and low, old and young, run 
and laugh, and are as merry as so many boys and girls. 

" But it is in the capitals that this social out-of-door life is car- 
ried to the greatest extent, as well as to the highest pitch of per- 
fection. The most celebrated bands, band-masters, and musical 
composers of Germany, are in daily requisition to give the highest 
impetus and enchantment to the popular enjoyment. Extensive 
gardens stretch on all hands, where cassinos rear their heads. 



272 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



crescents and colonnades extend themselves, groves and bowery 
walks with numberless seats offer their friendly shade, fountains 
splash and sparkle with a graceful and soothing witchcraft, orches- 
tras, in the shape of open pillared temples, stand aloft for the ac- 
commodation of musical bands, and throngs of the gayest people 
of the place make all lively, varied, and unceasingly attractive. 
At Munich, the English Garden, Tivoli, &c. ; at Dresden, the 
Grosse Garten, the Linkische Bad ; at Berlin, the Thier Garten, 
the Winter Garten, and all the neighboring resorts of Charlotteh- 
burg, of San Souci, of the Pfauen Insel, &c. ; at Prague, the 
Baumgarten, the Feen and Farber Insel ; at Vienna, the Volks- 
Garten, in the very heart, of the Vorstadt, and in front of the im- 
perial palace itself; the Prater, the Augarten, &c, with all the 
beautiful resorts of Schc'mbrunn, Hitzing, the mountain paradises 
of Baden, the Briihl, &c, &c. — where Strauss and Lanner, and 
other leaders, are perpetually performing with their bands during 
the summer evenings to eager thousands — bear testimony to the 
universality of this joyous and social out-of-door existence. 

" There are no people on the face of the earth that all summer 
long enjoy themselves like the Germans in their gay capitals ; but 
autumn approaches, and the great climacteric of the year is 
reached. The whole nation is astir. Not a man or woman can 
rest long. Every one must fly in quest of change, and pleasure, 
and health. The whole population is like one huge hive of bees 
at the point of swarming — there is one vast motion, buzz, and hum. 
Every soul must have his Herbst-reise, his autumn tour. He 
must visit the watering-places, and drink, and bathe. He must 
traverse the Rhine, the Elbe, or the Danube. He must climb the 
mountains of Switzerland, or the Tyrol. Steamers are every where 
loaded to sinking ; inns are full to suffocation ; and landlords stand 
shaking their heads, gabbling German, French, English, Italian, 
and Russian, and bowing away disconsolate travelers and dusty 
carriages from their doors. Railway trains are enormous in 
length ; and a smoking and a talking are going on in them, that 
are astounding to the stranger. Baden, Baden-Baden, Wisbaden, 
all the Badens ; Schlangen-Bad, Carlsbad, Wildbad, Alexisbad, 
all the Bads; Ems, Ischl, Bad-Gastein — every watering-place is 
full. Meeting in the early morning, and drinking of the sulphur- 
ous or effervescing water in the Kursaal, or holding a five-o'clock 
gossip in the warm general baths, men and women together; 
plunging into hot or cold baths in private, making drives to the 
neighboring castles and scenery ; sitting for two hours at tables 
d'hote ; purchasing of nosegays and paying musicians ; the 
parade, the splendid conversation-house, the ball, the reunion, 



GEEMANT. 273 



the gambling in an evening — and thus it goes at the watering- 
places. 

" But every spot of the country which is attractive ; every 
mountain district, every gay town, every fine stream, is alive with 
the ever-moving throng of pleasure-tourists. The hights and cas- 
tles of the Rhine and Danube ; the vales and defiles of the Saxon 
Switzerland ; the romantic regions of the Saltzburg, the Noric 
and the Swabian Alps, the Franconian and Thuringian forests, in 
short, every spot of gayety or beauty receives the temporary hosts 
of these wanderers. 

" The Germans travel comparatively little abroad. Some go 
to Rome, some to Paris, a very few to England ; but through 
their own Fatherland they circulate like the life-blood in the living- 
system, and as their enormous stretches of railway are completed, 
will do so more and more. And in truth, I can say from experi- 
ence, that a more delightful mode of spending an autumn is to be 
found in no country. 

" The Germans retain more of the picturesque and poetical in 
their festivals, both public and domestic, than we do. They are 
particularly fond of garlands on all such occasions. Their festive 
or triumphal arches are beautiful. Their dining-rooms are hung 
with festoons, and adorned with wreaths of flowers and green 
boughs, with great poetical feeling and elegance. The birth-days 
of their princes, or anniversaries of great days in their own lives, 
are celebrated often in picturesque situations. Sometimes within 
the court of a fine old ruin of a castle on one of their mountain 
hights, such as those above the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, or 
the Nectar ; and the walls and approaches are richly decorated 
with garlands and wreaths. Traces of such a festival we found in 
the court of Auerbach Castle, on the Bergstrasse, where the an- 
niversary of the birth-day of the Grand Duke of Hesse Darmstadt 
had been kept. The rural rostrum of moss and stones yet re- 
mained, from which the army-chaplain had delivered an oration. 
The wreaths of oak-leaves on the walls, each of which inclosed 
the name and date of a battle in which the duke had been en- 
gaged — some of which, by-the-by, must have been fought against 
the Fatherland, under the banners of Napoleon — still hung there 
too. 

" On private birth-days, such garlands are as much in use. Birth- 
days are kept more ceremoniously than with us. Your friends 
come in to congratulate you ; and at dinner your health is drunk 
with a great touching of glasses. On the wall hangs a lyre, 
formed of wood or other material, covered with moss, and adorned 
with leaves and flowers. This is kept from year to year, many of 

12* 



2*74 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



the flowers being everlastings. On the table, round its central 
ornament of sugar-work, a temple generally, with a figure or de- 
vice bearing an appropriate sentiment, burn as many little wax- 
lights as the years at which the person has arrived. You see this 
love of the poetical carried into all occasions of social pleasure. 
In England, we read of wreaths and garlands, but seldom see 
them. In Germany, the bridal and the funeral garlands are still 
no fictions. The bride wears, and goes to church in the Braut- 
Jcranz, or bridal garland, even the poorest ; and the funeral car is 
richly adorned with wreaths of leaves and flowers. On their 
graves are, again, hung wreaths, as in the old times of England ; 
and there grow roses and carnations, and other flowers and shrubs, 
making the region of decay lovely. There is also, at balls and 
dancing parties, a great presentation of little bouquets ; and at the 
tables d'hote, boys or girls come round and offer you bouquets ; 
and will, if required, bring them to your house through the whole 
year. 

" But on no occasion does the sentiment and domestic character 
of the Germans show itself so strongly in this respect, as at Christ- 
mas. This is expressly a family festival. In England it used to 
be so in the olden times, but now it is more a festival of friends. 
We have in many places still our waits and carol- parties. Parties 
meet at great houses in the country ; friends exchange visits ; din- 
ner and dancing parties are made ; and there is great jollity, eat- 
ing of mince-pies and roast-beef, drinking of wine, and still, in 
some old houses and rural districts, the burning of the yule-block. 
But in most of these pleasures the more adult personages are 
chiefly considered. The children are, in a great measure, excluded 
from them. The parents and elder brothers and sisters are going 
out to dine, or to evening parties, or are busy receiving their friends 
to such at home. The children get mince-pies, but make little or 
no part of the festivities. This is quite the reverse of the German 
custom. There, Christmas-eve is the great family festival, to 
which all, old and young alike, look forward with intense delight. 
It is strictly a domestic and home festival. It is not so much a 
time of being visited and visiting as a time in which every family 
draws round its stove, and celebrates a festival of family affection. 
Here the children are not so much secondaries as principals. Their 
happiness is considered most of all ; and in their happiness the 
gladness of all centers and grows. Accordingly, there is no time 
in the whole year toward which all, but especially the young and 
the children, look forward with such eager anticipation. It is a 
feast of the heart, and is emphatically called, Der Gluckliche 
Abend, the Happy Evening. 



GERMANY. 275 



" So completely are the pleasures of this evening woven into the 
German mind from childhood up, that poets in their most beauti- 
ful verses illustrate the delights of their mature years by reference 
to them, as Claudius in some admirable lines entitled Taglich zu 
Singen. 

' I thank thee, God, and rejoice myself, like the child over its Christmas- 
eve gifts, that I live, live ! and that I possess thee, beautiful human counte- 
nance ! That I can behold the sun, the mountains, the sea, the foliage, and 
the grass, and at evening can walk beneath the host of stars, and the dear 
moon ; and that I am then in heart as full of joy and admiration as when 
we children came and saw what the holy Christ-child had sent us. Amen.' 

" The very poorest and the very youngest partake as largely in 
the joy of this evening as any. Servants and all participate in it. 
For several months, therefore, there are great preparations making 
among the ladies for it. Each member of the family then makes 
a present to all the other members ; parents to children and ser- 
vants, children to their parents, servants to their master and mis- 
tress, and often to the children, children to them and one another. 
All those elegant and useful little things which ladies employ 
themselves in making — in needle-work, in drawing and painting, 
as ornamented purses, slippers, bracelets, watch-pockets, gloves, 
dressing up of dolls, articles of warm and ornamental wear, as 
gay-colored worsted little coats, called Kassaveikas, and cloaks of 
knotted work, are busily preparing. Bead-work presents itself in 
a variety of articles, as necklaces, purses, card-cases, cigar-cases, 
watch-pockets in the form of ladies' slippers, and innumerable 
other articles of fancy-work. 

" As all these have to be kept from the knowledge of the party 
for whom they are intended, till they are laid out on Christmas- 
eve itself, it is evident that a good deal of management is required. 
During the two or three months before Christmas, therefore, 
ladies are full of secrets, which, spite of the proverb, are faith- 
fully kept. They work when they are alone, or when that person 
of the family for whom the thing then in hand is intended is not 
present. They sometimes sit up after the rest are retired, or get 
up an hour earlier, or take out their work and go and sit with a 
friend at another house now and then. But, spite of all these 
contrivances and precautions, there are dangers of continual sur- 
prises ; and when you enter rather unexpectedly into a room, you 
see a great bustle and a hiding away of things under sofa- cushions, 
at the bottom of work-bags and baskets. These little schemes 
and alarms occasion, as may be supposed, a good deal of merri- 
ment among those who are in the particular secrets ; and all round 
have secrets that one or another is not in. 



2*76 THE WORLD WE LIVE US - . 



" All this time, too, there is much considering going on in differ- 
ent heads as to what presents that are to be purchased, shall be 
purchased. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, are pick- 
ing up by reflection, and by what occurs in conversation, ideas of 
what would be most acceptable or beneficial to the different mem- 
bers of their domestic circle. And then comes a looking-out for 
it. At the autumn fairs a great number of thing's are bought 
with an express reference to Christmas, and till then are stowed 
away in secret. But for about a month before Christmas the 
shops are all filled with things for presents. Not merely the toy- 
shops and shops of fancy wares, but every man who by a possi- 
bility can turn his shop into a bazar for Weighnachtsgeschenke, or 
Christmas presents, does. A man that all the rest of the year is 
a. sieve-maker and seller of turnery ware, suddenly, we observed, 
had his shop filled with every conceivable article of wood that 
can form presents. It was as if a magical spell had been exerted, 
and all his tubs and barrels, and sieves and spigots, were converted 
into dolls, wooden boxes full of toys, chess-boards, and boards of 
other games. His tables were covered with boxes full of little 
toy household things, sets of tea things, sets of kitchen utensils, 
little dinner-services, whips and hobby-horses, carts, wagons, dolls 
without end, churches and other buildings in sections for children 
to put together, and innumerable things of the like kind. The 
pipe shops are now, especially, crowded with these articles, as 
they, in a smoking country like Germany, are, of course, favorite 
presents. Eveiy bit of their windows is filled, till they seem lit- 
erally built up with them, offering vast variety of meerschaum 
and porcelain pipe-heads ; the latter with paintings of countless 
female faces, scenes from recent history and favorite authors, and 
of favorite spots in the Fatherland. 

" For about a fortnight before Christmas the stores and markets 
are filled with preparations. Baskets and stalls full of dressed 
dolls, from the price of a penny to a florin or more ; various gro- 
tesque animals of wool, or fur, or wood, intended for lambs, dogs, 
horses, and various other creatures, to which it would be difficult 
to attach name or imaginable resemblance. These are made by 
the peasants or lower class of townspeople, and are sold for the 
children of such. The children of the common schools and infant 
schools have all a present given them, be it only a penny doll, or 
a little handkerchief of a few pence value. Numbers of Christ- 
mas-trees show themselves for sale: These are principally tops 
of fir-trees, or boughs straight enough to resemble tops. Much 
damage is said to be done in the woods at this season by the cut- 
ting of these tops ; the wood-watchers are particularly on the 



GEEMANY. 211 



alert, and a heavy fine is inflicted on any offenders that are taken 
in the act. These trees are from six inches high up to ten or 
twelve feet or more, according to the size of the house, or the 
finances of the purchaser. They are generally set in a thick board 
or block of wood, weighted with lead, and on this board is made 
a garden, paled in with ornamental paling, having at the back 
generally a house of wood or cardboard. The garden is filled 
with moss and green sprigs of the fir, and in it stand shepherds, 
sheep, a dog, a stork, and one or more stags with gilded horns. 

" This is intended to represent the annunciation of the birth of 
Christ to the shepherds ; and, accordingly, an angel is seen, sus- 
pended by a wire from the stem of the tree, as in the act of hov- 
ering in the air and proclaiming the glad tidings. The shep- 
herds and animals are made of clay, most grotesque creatures, 
painted in barbarous style ; the storks adorned with feathers, for 
tails, stuck into the clay ; and all are propped on little pegs of 
wood. 

" The whole is, no doubt, derived from the legends of the Cath- 
olic Church, and displays pretty much the same degree of art and 
general appearance as it did ages before the Reformation. 

'-' As Christmas-eve approaches, and especially for the few days 
before it, the shops and markets are crowded with purchasers. 
Christmas-trees are seen moving off in various directions, with 
their gardens appended, or others without gardens, the families 
which have purchased these having retained their garden of former 
years on its block of wood. The day of Christmas-eve itself, the 
floors of the shops are literally piled with the baskets of country 
people, which they have set down while they make their little 
purchases for their children. 

" The important eve itself arrives. Throughout Germany, in 
every house, from the palace to the cottage, where there are chil- 
dren, there stands a Christmas-tree. In the houses of the rich 
and the well-to-do, there has been much preparation. According 
to ancient custom, about a fortnight before Christmas, Pelznichel, 
or Knecht Rupert, has made his visit to the children. This person 
represents no other than St. Nicholas, as we learn from an old 
poem. 

ST. NIKLAS. 

' Yater. Es wird aus den zeitungen vernommen 
Dass der heilige Niklas werde kommen,' &c. 

Which in simple prose may be rendered thus : 

Father. — The newspapers say that the holy St. Nicholas will soon he 
here from Moscow, where he is held in great esteem, and is honored as a 



278 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



saint. He is already on the way to visit the tender school-children. To 
see what the little boys and girls have this year learned in praying, -writ- 
ing, singing, and reading ; and to see whether they have been pretty good. 
He has put into his sack beautiful dolls of sugar-work, with which to honor 
those children who have been good. 

Child. — Holy St. Nicholas, I pray thee very much to turn into my house 
too. Bring books, and clothes, and shoes, and many another nice thing. So 
will I learn well, and be good, as I should be. Amen. 

St. Nicholas. — God greet you, dear little children. Tou must be obedi- 
ent to your father and mother, and then shall I give you some beautiful 
Christmas gifts. But if you are not so, I shall bring the stick and the rod. 
Amen. 

"Pelznichel is a man disguised in a fur cap, and otherwise made 
awful to children by his singular habiliments, being armed with a 
rod, having a capacious bag or pouch hanging before him, and a 
large chain thrown round him, whose end being dropped on the 
ground as he walks, makes to their imaginations a mysterious 
noise. Sometimes he has a number of little bells hung about him, 
and thence is called by Richter, in his Fixlein, ' Knecht Ruprecht, 
with his jingling bells.' His name of Knecht Ruprecht is most 
likely derived from the idea that he is the servant of the Christ- 
child, who sends him to prepare for his own arrival on Christmas- 
eve. He is, in fact, some servant or dependent of the family, who 
engage him to undertake this office, and furnish him with requi- 
site information. The children above eight or nine years old are 
let into the secret, which they faithfully keep. The younger chil- 
dren, as the time draws on, are often reminded that Christmas is 
coming, and that Pelznichel will be here, and, according as they 
are good or bad, will correct or reward them. If they have been 
bad children, he will use his rod ; if good, he will bring them 
nuts, and apples, and cakes, from the good Christ-child. AH this 
they receive as gospel, and with the greatest awe, and it has a 
strong effect upon them. They have a notion that Pelznichel, or 
the Christ-child, has his eyes upon them when they are not aware. 
That Pelznichel is going round the house at night and listening, 
and if they are naughty is sure to hear them ; or that the Christ- 
child, with an ubiquitous knowledge, sees all, and tells Pelznichel 
all about them. They look forward, therefore, with great awe 
and some anxiety to the appearance of Pelznichel. At length, 
some days before St. Nicholas's day, the father or mother says, 
'Well, children, now be very good, for Pelznichel is coming. 
He has sent word that he will be here on such an evening at six 
o'clock.' 

" On that evening all is expectation, and scarcely is tea away 
when there comes a ring at the door. All exclaim, ' That must 



GERMANY. 2*79 



foe Pelznichel !' The faces of the children are filled with awful 
expectation. All stand silent. Presently is heard a distant and 
mysterious ringing of bells ; a jingling of chains on the stone 
stairs. It becomes more distinct — it approaches ; there is a 
heavy accompanying tread. There is a bustle in the passage, as 
if some matter of great moment was occurring. Voices are heard 
speaking, and, among them, one deep and strange one. That is 
Pelznichel. The heavy tread, the ringing bells, the clanking 
chains, the bustle, and the voices are at the door ; every eye is 
fixed on it. All are rooted in silent awe. The door opens, and 
in stalks the strange figure of Pelznichel — the Mumbo Jumbo of 
Germany, while behind him are the assembled servants of the 
household, full of curiosity, to witness what he will say and do. 
He announces that he is sent by the good Christ-child to reward 
good children, and correct the bad. Every little heart beats with 
hope or fear. He addresses them by turns, beginning with the 
eldest. He asks them how they have pursued their studies ; per- 
haps calls for their books ; pronounces an opinion on their progress, 
and by what he says gives them intimations that he is aware of 
their general conduct, and of particular acts, good or evil, which 
fills them with surprise. If they have quarreled on their way to 
school ; if they have been ungenerous or revengeful, they are sure 
to be told of it. He turns to each child in rotation, and adapts 
his rewards to the age and character of each. The very little 
ones often propitiate him by addressing him in a little rhyme the 
moment his eyes are turned upon them, and which the nurse has 
taught them for the purpose. 

' Christ-kindschen komm ; 
Macli mich fromm ; 
Das ich zu dir in Himmel komm.' 

Which is, literally, ' Christ-child, come ; make me good, that I 
may come to thee in heaven.' The aspect of a little child stand- 
ing in awe and in faith before Pelznichel, and in the soft, innocent 
tones of its voice making this simple petition in the truth of its 
heart, as I have seen it, is one of the most beautiful and affecting 
things in the world. 

" Pelznichel talks sternly, and with menacing agitations of his 
rod, to those who have been stubborn, lazy, or disobedient, and 
commends those who have been otherwise. He hands the rod to 
the father, and commands him to use it when necessary, or he 
vows to come and use it himself. He seldom, however, proceeds 
on this occasion to any actual chastisement, as it is intended rather 
as a means of reformation, by instilling a salutary fear ; and he 



280 THE WOELD WE LIVE LTST. 



adds that, on Christmas-eve, Christ-kindschen will come, and ac- 
cording as they behave, in the mean time, will reward them for 
good or ill. If for good, they will find many nice things on and 
under the Christmas-tree ; if on the contrary, he will himself, 
probably, be ordered to fetch them, and carry them into the 
woods in the mountains, and there to shut them up in a cave 
in the rocks, in the cold and darkness, where snakes hiss, owls 
hoot, toads and salamanders crawl, and fire runs about the ground. 
He generally ends by dealing out, from his bag, nuts, apples, and 
little cakes, to each of them, and throwing others on the floor ; 
while they are busy in scrambling for them he disappears. 

" In the country Pelznichel goes about on a donkey, and actually 
often chastises the children of the peasantry. His visit in town 
or country has mostly a decisive effect. The parents remind the 
children of what he has said. They congratulate them on the 
commendations they have received ; they remark on the faults he 
has related of them, and the fact that they are seen and observed 
often when they little think of it. They encourage them to begin 
seriously to correct and improve themselves, and to secure from 
Christ-kindschen a certain token of approbation of their conduct. 
The ensuing fortnight is a season of self- watchfulness and pro- 
bation. 

" The day arrives. The drawing-room, or, in Germany, the 
saloon, is closed. Only the person who is intrusted with each 
one's secret is admitted to it, and has the key. All the young 
people of the family, in fact, have been previously busy in pre- 
paring the tree, gilding walnuts and apples, and hanging them 
upon it ; hanging on it also sundry little cakes, and figures of 
sugar-work of various colors. This has been the source of great 
delight to them. The tree has been set in its place, and then the 
room consigned to the one confidential person, who has laid out, 
in tasteful array, the presents intended for every person, each in 
a group by themselves. 

" As soon as it is dark, and tea is over, the doors of the room 
are thrown open at the ringing of a bell, and a scene of splendor 
and beauty is revealed which produces one general exclamation of 
delight, and strikes, with a charming surprise, a person who has 
never witnessed such a one before. The whole room is filled with 
light. Opposite to you soars aloft the Christmas-tree in its fairy- 
land beauty ; and around extend tables covered with, and hung 
in front with drapery, often displaying great taste and elegance in 
its disposal and ornaments ; and on these tables lie the various 
presents which have so long been secretly making and procuring, 
It would be difficult to describe either the wonder and admiration 



GERMANY. 281 



of the children, as they gaze on the whole brilliant scene ; on the 
lovely tree, glittering with golden and silver fruit, seeming at the 
same time rich with innumerable flowers of various shapes and 
colors, and irradiated with lights. The mutual surprise and pleas- 
ure of the different members of the family, as they are shown 
what presents are there laid for them, and hear from whom each 
comes ; the course of explanations that goes on ; the sudden rec- 
ognitions of the cause which has prompted such and such pres- 
ents from such and such persons ; the pleasant amazement ; the 
thanks ; the laughter ; the tears of affection that come into the 
eyes of the different members of the happy family, are more readily 
imagined than described. 

" But not only the poor in their cottages have their Christmas- 
tree ; in schools and other institutions it is set up. A prettier or 
more affecting sight we have seldom seen than the celebration of 
Christmas-day in the infant school at Heidelberg. Here, at three 
o'clock in the afternoon, were the parents and children, the pat- 
rons and friends of the school, assembled. Upward of eighty 
little boys and girls, all under six years of age, were seated on 
low forms in the middle of the school, opposite to the master's 
desk, in front of which, on a raised platform, stood four tall 
Christmas-trees, or, as they called them, sugar-trees, decorated 
with the usual appendages of cakes, apples, &c, and at their feet 
stood a row of tapers ready to be kindled. 

" Besides these, were various colored engravings ; an excellent 
one of Christ Blessing the Little Children ; a kind of erection of 
straw- woi'k, containing stages, on one of which was a dancing bear, 
on another a tournament, with knights riding, with candles burning 
all over it. These figures revolved by means of a perpendicular 
spindle, having attached to its top a sort of fan, like the ventilator 
of a window, which was moved by the warm air ascending from 
the candles. There were many funny little three-legged pots, of 
true German fashion, set on the platform among the lights, a 
gift to the children from some one, to amuse them in their school 
play-hours. 

" To the right sat the spectators, many ladies and gentlemen of 
the place ; to the left the parents of the children. The master lit 
up the tapers on the trees, and the row of them at their feet, and 
a murmur of delight rose from the little troop of children. The 
blinds had all been drawn down, to exclude as much of the ex- 
terior light as possible, and the scene was very bright. The mas- 
ter read from his desk an address prepared for the occasion ; and 
after the little scholars had sung a Christmas hymn or two very 
prettily, they were dismissed, one by one, with their pinafores full 



282 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



of toys, good warm articles of clothing, and a quantity of cakes 
and apples, the former of which had been sent as a Christmas gift 
to them by a worthy baker. It was pleasant to see the delighted 
faces of all present ; the eager looks of the parents as their chil- 
dren came forward to receive their presents ; and how the mothers, 
as they advanced toward the door, snatched them up, and carried 
them off, gifts and all together. 

"Even inmates of the asylums, as if they were at home among 
their children, are treated to a Christmas-tree, and the brilliance 
of Christmas-eve. It is the great sacred festival of Germany, 
and is much more regarded than Sunday. On Sunday, great 
numbers of shops in most towns are open, things are brought 
home from different makers as on another day, and ladies sit 
knitting in company as usual. On Christmas-day nearly all shops 
are closed, and even ladies refrain from knitting ; and all is solemn 
and decorous. Two days are made holidays, and the tree is not 
pulled down till New-Year's day, when the children rifle its treas- 
ures, and different members of the family frequently keep some 
particular article from it as a remembrance. The solemnity of 
Christmas is also further marked, riot only by the increased servi- 
ces in the churches from Advent to Christmas, but also by balls 
and other public amusements being laid aside during that period. 

" Such are the Christmas customs of Germany. . It must be 
confessed that there is something very amiable, poetical, and beau- 
tiful in them ; but the English and American mind will not, at the 
same time, be able to avoid feeling a repugnance to the making so 
free with the person of Christ, and still more to the delusions that 
are thus practiced, and falsehoods practically taught to the chil- 
dren. That this is the Christ-child ; that he brings all these gifts 
from heaven ; that Pelznichel is sent by him, and so on — the mo- 
ment a child grows old enough to see through this, he must begin 
to think that his parents care little for the truth, and be in danger 
of adopting an idea that he need not much regard it himself. In 
fact, at a certain age, the parents are obliged to let the children 
into the secret, and to take them, as it were, into a partnership of 
imposing on their younger brothers and sisters. This is very bad ; 
and when the next step to this, in domestic education, is to stuff 
the young mind with a whole host of Mdrchen, household legends 
of a similar kind, we must fear that truth cannot be very sacred 
among them. And is it ? Our experience is, that it is far from 
being so much so as it should be. Whoever has looked through 
their literature, must have felt surprised at the freedom with 
which the heroes of the stories by the most celebrated masters, 
Goethe, for instance, tell any kind of fib to help them out of 



GEEMANT. 283 



scrapes. Whoever has seen much of private life in Germany, 
will, we fear, have experienced a similar surprise. Spite of the 
national boasts of the Deutsche Treue und Deutsche Wahrheit, 
German faithfulness and truth, this is a fact which merits the 
most serious attention of a people so proud of their improvements 
in education ; and it seems wonderful that it has not struck them, 
that all the essential and beautiful of this Christmas practice will 
remain independent of these fictions. The tree may still be set 
up ; the children may still look forward to finding under it pres- 
ents for the good, and it will be just as delightful to their young 
hearts that these are the testimonies of parental and household 
affection, as if they suppose them brought by a Christ-kindschen. 
If they prize the wonder which such deceptions bring, it is still 
worth while asking whether that momentary wonder may not be 
purchased too dear ; that is, by the lasting injury to truthfulness. 
All that wonder, too, may be imparted by relating to the children 
at these times, what were the legends and the fancies of their an- 
cestors, for the imagination is perhaps more delighted with what 
is presented to it as an ideal of the past, than as an actuality of 
the present." 

Before leaving Germany, we should like to speak of " the stu- 
dent life" there, so peculiar and striking, and to which Mr. Howitt 
has devoted an entire volume. But we have not the room, and 
can only say that, while studious in the main, and often making 
the highest attainments in learning, the members of the different 
universities are a " hard set of fellows," given to drinking, carous- 
ing, dueling, and the most outrageous merry-making. Recently, 
indeed, dueling has been discouraged by the civil governments as 
well as by the university authorities, but it yet prevails to a con- 
siderable extent. Students have occasionally, though very rarely 
of late years, lost their lives in these "jousts of honor;" more 
generally, however, they get off with a slit nose, a gashed cheek, 
or a mangled ear. Scars are not unfrequently seen upon the faces 
of students, as they parade the streets. Their beer-drinking duels 
or contests, in which they endeavor to outdrink each other, are 
more common, and followed with less disastrous consequences. 
Singing, dancing, drinking, smoking, and similar practices, are 
almost universal among them. Indeed, they may be described, 
with some honorable exceptions, as a wild, " harum-scarum" set 
of fellows, yet often generous, freedom -loving, and self-sacrificing ; 
and it is really surprising how many of them turn out good schol- 
ars and useful citizens. 

We cannot, however, omit some account of the wander- 
ing journeymen, or craftsmen. And here we must have re- 



284 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



course to Mr. Howitt's admirable description, as the best we 
know : 

" Not less singular nor less conspicuous than the student-life of 
Germany, is that of the handwerksbursche, or wandering handi- 
craftsmen. One of the first things on your arrival in the country 
which strikes your eye, is the number of young men on the roads 
with knapsacks on their backs, and stout sticks in their hands. 
They have a wayfaring, but not a mendicant or vagabond look, 
though, to your surprise, they will often, on the approach of your 
carriage, off with their caps and run along beside it, to ask for 
something. Their looks — frequently those of mere boys, often 
handsome lads, too, well dressed, though in a peculiar pedestrian 
style — and their good and well-stored knapsacks, do not fail to fill 
you with curiosity, especially when, without the slightest aspect 
of shame or of impudence, they solicit you for money, and you 
learn, on inquiring, that these are the Gesellen, handwerksbursche, 
or wandering journeymen of Germany ; that this rambling all over 
the country of such numbers of these young men, in every part 
and every direction, is not so much a matter of choice as of neces- 
sity ; that, for three or more years after the expiration of their 
apprenticeship, they must thus pursue their travels, and on their 
return must give evidence of having become perfect in their call- 
ing, by making their meisterstiick, or masterpiece, before they can 
obtain permission to enter on business for themselves. 

There is no doubt but that if, instead of all these young men 
wandering all over the country for the appointed term of three 
years, during which period much time is lost in the wandering 
itself, they were sent direct to the few cities where their own craft 
is most successfully pursued, or were taught enough of the Eng- 
lish and French languages for common purposes, and were sent at 
once to London or Paris, they would, in as many months as they 
now spend years, learn three times as much. They would thus 
come at one leap to the fountain-heads of that knowledge which 
they seek, and there speedily make themselves masters of the 
latest discoveries and improvements. We should then no longer 
see, as we do with wonder when we first come to Germany, the 
strange old-fashioned locks, door-handles — actually levers — queer 
knives and forks, comical pots and kitchen utensils, odd old-world 
carriages, lumbering eil-wagons, so called, and many other things 
which throw us back some hundreds of years in the history of 
mechanical improvement. Their artists, indeed, do not pursue 
this method ; they sedulously seek to acquaint themselves with the 
master- works of Greece and Italy, and the effect is in accordance. 
But in all else the Germans, if left alone, will go on to eternity 



GERMANY. 285 



in the same track. They are like steam-engines set upon a line. 
They are full of power, and will march on exerting it forever in 
one course, unless some mighty influence from without breaks 
irresistibly in upon them and throws them off the rail ; as Bona- 
parte broke in, and as steam-power is now again breaking in, 
destined to produce far more wonderful changes among them 
than did the fiery Corsican. 

But there are advantages derived from this wandering system 
of the handicrafts, which may be said to be far more than a justi- 
fication of it. If much time is lost to their artistical advancement, 
and if they seldom reach that degree of excellence which an ex- 
clusive direction of their attention to the capitals of Europe would 
bring, on the other hand, they see more of their own country than 
the same class in any part of the world does. They wander, at 
public cost, through the various states of their common country. 
They see the vai-ieties of men and manners, of cities and costumes. 
The beauties of nature are brought under the eye of all that have 
a feeling for them. They tread the spots celebrated in their his- 
tory, and calculated to inspire a patriotic sentiment. They are 
made aware of the greatness and extent of the Fatherland. Gal- 
leries, works of art, noble specimens of architecture, celebrated 
ruins, and peculiar institutions are open to their observation ; and 
many of them, as we shall see, do not neglect to avail themselves 
of these privileges, and lay up for their future lives a store of the 
most delightful recollections and subjects of conversation. It is, 
in fact, in this point of view, rather than as a means of perfecting 
themselves in their individual arts, that the excellence of the sys- 
tem, in my opinion, lies ; though at the same time it is not to be 
denied that it is attended with many dangers and abuses, as it 
must be, while it lets loose such a swarm of raw and rude youths 
as must of necessity exist in this class, who, without gathering 
much good for themselves, are very capable of corrupting those 
that they circulate among. 

The handicraft guilds are divided into nine or ten different kinds 
— i. e., they consist of so many different kinds of handicrafts, or 
are differently constituted, For instance, there are city and vil- 
lage handicrafts. The city ones consist of those who folioAv the 
arts which contribute more particularly to the elegances and lux- 
uries of life ; and the village ones of such as are there rather tol- 
erated because such must be had, than regarded with admiration 
as masters in their calling. Among these are classed the ordinary 
run of linen- weavers, wheel- wrights, cobblers, tailors, joiners, 
smiths, tilers, brick-layers, and potters. Then there are limited 
and unlimited handicrafts. The limited are those where, through 



286 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



a privilege granted by the lord of the country, only a certain 
number of masters in each handicraft are allowed within its 
bounds, and no one can be there constituted a master by the 
magistrates, without the consent of the masters of the guild. In 
the unlimited, where the masters of the guild refuse to admit a 
young man who has gone through his years of probation, a ma- 
gistrate, on his proving this, and showing his masterpiece, that he 
is entitled to it, can compel his admission. There are, again, 
close and exclusive guilds, which consist of the artisans of fine 
and delicate crafts. Such are to be found particularly in Niirn- 
berg, as those of the awl-smiths, black-lead pencil-makers, turners, 
coppersmiths, bell-founders, gold and silver wire-drawers, &c. 
These neither send out their youths to study any where else, nor 
receive the gesellen from any other places, except where the same 
close guilds exist ; and toward the hand- workers of their trade 
who belong not to these close guilds, observe none of the usages 
of the handicraft unions. 

They make, again, among themselves, distinctions into fine and 
coarse trades, as among the workers in wood are classed with the 
latter, carpenters, joiners, coopers, and cart-wrights ; among the 
workers in iron, smiths ; while fine ones in wood are turners, 
cabinet-makers, and carvers ; in metals, spur, file, and lock smiths. 
They have further distinctions between the different branches of a 
handicraft, be it in works in stone, iron, gold, silver, silk, wool, or 
what else. So, under the head of workers in leather, are the 
tanners, the fellmongers, the curriers, saddlers, the shoemakers, 
and the glovers. There are also hired handicrafts, and retailing 
handicrafts. The first are such as have no right to sell their own 
work, and must, therefore, serve a master. The second class have 
the privilege, if they please, to work on their own account, and' to 
stand as dealers in the yearly fairs. There are, again, simple and 
conjoint guilds, i. e., guilds consisting purely of those of one trade, 
and guilds in which two or more trades are united. But their 
most essential distinction, so far as it regards the comfort of the 
gesellen while on their wanderschaft, is into geschenkte and unge- 
schenkte— -those who give a stipulated allowance to these young 
men, in case they do not find work in any town. It is a prevail- 
ing notion that every guild, without exception, by a fixed law, 
appoints a regular sum to be given to every gesell, which is con- 
tributed by every master in the trade, in each town where he 
seeks work and does not find it ; but this is not the case. Some 
only do this ; others, again, do it not ; and there is a third class, 
which, though it does not prescribe a fixed sum, ordains that 
something shall be given, which is done out of the common chest, 



* GEEMANT. 28*7 



Where but little is given, it is the custom of those gesellen who 
are in work to contribute to assist those who are not ; and where 
nothing is given, the gesell on his travels depends upon his own 
resources, and the contributions of his brother workmen who are 
in employ. 

It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that many of these young 
men who have to travel, and yet depend in a great degree on their 
resources, should be compelled sometimes to beg ; or that this 
being the case with a part of them, should furnish a plea to any 
or all of the rest to do the same. 

Every handicraft has its Herberge, or inn, and here the guild 
has its chest. Here the traveling gesell resorts, and not only 
finds his home till he can obtain work, or must proceed on his 
journey, but here he is sought for by masters who want hands. 
On his arrival he immediately announces himself to the Jungmeis- 
ter, or handworks-messenger, who gives him any information that 
he possesses as to those that need hands. He must then go 
round to the masters, and where they do not happen to be in, the 
Altgesell, or oldest journeyman in each shop, who acts as fore- 
man, gives bim an answer. 

In the herberge the sick are cared for, and there the guild has 
its meetings. Every guild has its guildmaster, with a handworks- 
deputy, or assessor, appointed by the magistracy, and other as- 
sistant masters. It has its Ladenmeister, or treasurer, and its 
messenger, or Jungmeister, the latest admitted to the guild, who 
gives notices of these meetings, and is in attendance to execute 
the commands of the elders. In these meetings the chest is 
opened which contains the laws and statutes of the guild, its rec- 
ords, accounts, letters, &c. ; and from this circumstance comes the 
expression among the handworkers, of whatever is done at these 
meetings, being done at open chest. 

These herberges are very curious. From the ceiling depends 
the insignia of the trade to which it belongs. From that of the 
shoemakers hangs a wooden boot ; from that of the smith, a horse- 
shoe ; from that of the coopers, a small barrel ; and so on, adorned 
with various colored ribbons. In a village herberge, where the 
various handicrafts use but one house, the insignia of the different 
trades are suspended over the different tables where the members 
of the different handicrafts sit. 

The apprenticeships vary in duration from three to six years ; 
the shorter periods being generally compensated for by a propor- 
tionate premium. The general term of the wanderschaft is three 
years ; but there are handicrafts in which four, and even six years 
wandering are required. When a youth has served out his ap- 



288 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



prenticeship, it is necessary, before he can proceed on his wander- 
schaft, that his master should declare him free at open chest, that 
is, before the assembled guild. Formerly, these guilds, or zunfts, 
were very strict in their requirings before an apprentice could be 
entered on the rank of gesell. His freedom and respectability 
must be proved by the certificate of his birth ; and to maintain 
the honor of the guild, so far was this carried, that illegitimate 
children, and even the legitimate children of shepherds, bailiffs, 
watchmen, beadles, and of those parents who had been in a house 
of correction, were excluded. These absurd proscriptions have 
been justly done away with. 

The youth, being made free from his master, demands from the 
guild a copy of his birth and apprenticeship certificates, which lie 
in the chest. These must be signed and sealed by the masters of 
the ziinft ; and besides this, if he shall have worked there as a 
gesell some time between the expiration of his apprenticeship and 
his setting out, must be added a printed form of testimony to that 
effect. All these testimonies are generally copied, not upon sep- 
arate papers, but into a book called the Wander-book, which it 
behooves him most carefully to preserve, as no handworker with- 
out these documents will be employed by any master. 

If the articles of the ziinft do not expressly require a wander- 
schaft to be made, it remains at the option of the youths them- 
selves whether they will make it or not ; but such guilds are very 
few in number. There are some where the gesells do not wander, 
but must work as such for a fixed period, and can remain for that 
time with the master with whom they were apprenticed. The 
articles of the guild declare expressly whether the gesell shall 
travel within his own State or beyond it. It is generally required 
to go beyond it. Some trades, but these are few, decree that the 
gesell during the period of his wanderschaft shall not return home 
at all. The sons of masters in some trades had the privilege 
either of exemption from wandering, or the period was curtailed 
in duration for them ; but this is stated by Mittermeyer to be now 
contrary to law. 

So then the gesell is freed by his guild ; but before he can set 
out he must obtain one thing more, and that is his passport from 
the police. In earlier times, the handworkers and artists traveled 
without a pass or written document, and were furnished with a 
secret formula, by which they were recognized, called the Hand- 
worker's Greeting ; but the abuses to which this led, especially in 
unsettled times, by enabling bad characters thus to overrun the 
country, induced the emperor, in 1*731, to issue an order for the 
whole of Germany, that no person whatever should be allowed to 



GEKMA1ST. 289 



travel without a regular passport. The passports of this class, 
therefore, are very strictly demanded, in order that the police may 
be able to keep a sharp oversight on them during their whole 
term of wandering, and so that at any time they may by this 
means be able to tell where any individual of them is. By this 
means, too, every youth may be traced by his friends, and the ex- 
act circumstances in which he is can be ascertained at any given 
time. 

Furnished with this wander-book and this passport, and joining 
himself, if possible, with one or two others, who are setting out 
on their journeys of probation too, he mounts his knapsack, and 
takes leave of his friends. With many warnings and good wishes, 
and much good advice from father and mother, and from those 
old friends who, in their day, have gone the same wanderschaft, 
and with his heart full of tender regrets at leaving the spot of 
birth and youth, and of wonder and expectation of what he is to 
see ; of the great cities, and strange people, and curious customs ; 
of the mountains and rivers of which he has heard so much from 
other gesellen, or from his father and friends, he sets forth. 

There is a beautiful account in the life of Hans Sachs, the cele- 
brated shoemaker-poet of Nurnberg, of his thus setting forth. 

It is thus that we see these youths strolling on in groups, or 
one by one, from town to town, in every part of Germany. A 
leathern knapsack on their backs, under the cover of which is gen- 
erally rolled a cape, to throw over their shoulders in rain ; a hat, 
often covered with oilskin ; in summer a linen blouse, bound round 
the waist with a belt ; in the hand a stout stick, and in the mouth, 
or peeping out of a pocket, a pipe. The dignity of carrying a 
stick and a pipe in public, or in company, is one to which the 
youth only arrives on issuing out of his apprenticeship, and taking 
the rank of a gesell. He has generally a wickerwork-guarded 
flask hanging by his side from a cord, for brandy or wine in cold 
weather, and for wine or water in summer. At each end of his 
knapsack peep the soles of a pair of boots ; and he has often, 
moreover, attached to his knapsack, a pair of small wheels, by 
which, when his back is weary of it, he can trail it after him with 
his stick. You see one, now and then, with a long narrow sack, 
which, well stuffed, hangs over one shoulder and down his side, 
like a great horse-collar, but this is rare ; the knapsack is the gen- 
eral wear. 

The traveling gesell is advised by the experienced to carry no 
more articles with him than are absolutely necessary, and this is 
the most approved stock. Besides the clothes on his back, a Suu- 
day suit, two shirts, two pair of stockings, a few handkerchiefs 

13 



290 THE WOELD WE LIVE 1ST. 



and nightcaps, a pair of scissors, needles and thread, of which he 
will often have need, and must learn the use of. If these are well 
packed, he will, says his adviser, have room also for a few books, 
especially a Bible and a handwork-traveler's pocket-book. There 
are pocket-books prepared expressly for his use, and excellent 
ones they are. They contain rules for preserving his health ; an 
alphabetical list of those cities where each trade is pre-eminently 
pursued, and where he can best obtain his object ; instructions as 
to what is demanded of him by the police and magistracy ; an ex- 
position of the constitution of the guilds or innungs ; the principles 
of his native language, that he may gradually improve himself in 
it ; advice in case of illness ; tables of the values of the various 
moneys and of the weights in different States ; calculations of ex- 
penses ; admirable tables of routes and distances in every direction, 
not only through his own country, but to the capitals of neighbor- 
ing kingdoms ; lists of the steamers, packet-boats, and railways, and 
every thing that relates to eil-wagons and other conveyances, with 
their charges ; all that respects sending and receiving of letters, 
money, and other packets ; trade regulations ; a glossary of foreign 
words that he will be most likely to fall in with ; accounts of the 
principal buildings, galleries of art, and remarkable objects in those 
countries and cities through which he may go ; prognostics of 
weather ; and finally, miscellaneous notices for entertainment and 
instruction in solitary hours. 

When he arrives at a town or village, he knows where to find 
his proper herberge. Here he finds, most probably, others of his 
trade, and learns from them or the landlord who are the masters 
in the town. He shows his wander-book to the landlord, and that 
becomes security for what he may have during his stay. He has 
then to present his passport at the police-office, and go round to 
the masters to seek work. If he find it, his passport must lie at 
the police-office till he again has to move, and it is amazing in the 
large cities the crowd of these gesellen that you every day see 
there, bringing their passports, or fetching them away again, pre- 
paratory to their depai-ture. At Vienna an officer used generally 
to be keeping them back from the door, and only letting in a por- 
tion of the thronging mass from time to time, as they could be 
attended to. 

In many States they are not allowed to cross the boundaries, 
although furnished with all these requisite documents, unless they 
are each in possession of at least two crowns. When driven to 
extremity, however, a number of those who travel together will 
contrive, by standing near each other, to make two crown pieces 
serve for them all, by dexterously handing them from one to 



GERMANY. 291 



another, and thus in succession showing the same pieces to the 
officers. 

If they do not find any master in the place wanting a hand, 
they announce this to the ziinft-master, who gives them a certifi- 
cate to that effect ; and after receiving the Zehrpfennig, or sum 
that is allowed by the guild, they are required, without delay of 
more than one day, to proceed on their journey. A gesell can 
receive no pecuniary assistance, who either will not take work in 
the place where it is to be had ; who has within three months 
been there and received work or a contribution ; who has not the 
proper certificates, or who has been employed in the place on this 
visit. 

If they receive work, they must deliver up their wander-book, 
to be kept in the ziinft-chest till their departure. When master 
or man wishes to separate, either of them must give eight days' 
notice. If the man works by the piece, he must complete his 
piece of work before quitting ; if by the week, he can neither leave 
before the Saturday evening, nor be dismissed by his employer 
before, without some extraordinary cause ; otherwise, if the mas- 
ter be in fault, he will be fined ; if the man, his unpaid wages will 
be forfeited. If the master dismiss the man, the man may obtain 
work again in the place immediately, if another master have a va- 
cancy ; if he leave the master, he cannot go to another in the 
place until he has quitted it for at least fourteen days. 

If a gesell loiter more than a day in a place, after he has done 
working, or after he has been round to all the masters, and has 
obtained no work, or if he have been found begging, he is treated 
as any other vagabond ; and if his conduct have been bad, and he 
have left in debt, he is put on what is called the black table, is 
reported to the police, his disgrace is sent 1 on his journey before 
him, and no master can employ him without incurring a fine. 

Such are the regulations under which this great body of young 
men, in the eye of the law, and urged on by necessity and strict 
limitations, wanders from state to state, and city to city, for three 
or more years. When we consider what a swarm of rude and in- 
experienced youths, many of them, in fact, mere lads, is thus sent 
abroad into new scenes, and amid new temptations, we cannot 
think that there is one rule or restriction too many. Spite of all, 
many a wild scene of fighting Knoten, as these handworkers are 
in contempt called, with the bauers or peasants, is seen. Many a 
wild drinking and dancing at wakes and merry-makings. Many a 
trick is played and carouse is made by the cunning and disorderly. 
A troop of the lazy and lewd will wander on from place to place, 
not being over-anxious to get work, or if they get it, soon giving 



292 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



notice and going off again. In the summer-time, you see them 
singing and capering on the highways, or in autumn making very 
merry under one of those fruit-trees which grow by the waysides 
from town to town, and whose leaves, battered to the ground, 
give evidence of their vigorous assaults on the ripe temptations. 

On the other hand, to the aspiring and deserving these years 
open up a new world of knowledge and of life ; to those who 
have a feeling for nature and for art — and there are many among 
this class — a world of delight. Imagine a youth who has passed 
his apprentice years in some stupid little town, and under some 
severe master; amid circumstances and tempers which make a 
house worse than a prison, and of which the bitterness is only too 
sure to fall on the innocent apprentice — imagine with what delight 
he must look forward to the hour which shall set him free, and 
spread before him a new existence, and new realms and years of 
novelty, variety, more freedom, and, as he fondly hopes, more 
good. With what a sense of elastic life must he spring from the 
doorstead of his cares and oppressions, and stretch the wings of 
his spirit over that wide and hope-tinted space before him ! It 
was this peculiar life which gave Goethe the idea of his Wilhelm 
Meister in his ' Lehrjahre' and his ' Wanderjahre ;' and has 
furnished to many other German writers topics and ideas that 
serve eminently to vary their works. And to those, even in these 
humble classes, who have souls which have faculties and feelings 
beyond the mere circle of what the Germans call their bread-sci- 
ences — and to none has the beneficent Creator entirely denied 
such, any more than he has denied to the dry heath, the com- 
mon wayside, and the untrodden desert, beauty and the flow- 
ers which ' blush unseen' there — what a period of enchantment 
and of rapidly expanding knowledge does this wanderschaft be- 
come ! In the mountains and woods through which their routes 
lead them, by the noble rivers which flow through their country, 
they breathe, as they go from one station to another in the sum- 
mer, a soul of poetry, and revel in the richest feelings of existence. 
What moments of deep entrancement, what dreams of fancy and 
of beauty, do some of these humble wanderers enjoy, as you see 
them with their knapsacks flung on the flowery turf, and their 
elbows propped or their heads cushioned upon them, as they 
lie stretched on the green skirts of one of their beautiful 
woods, and by the swift waters of a meadow stream ! To many a 
young wanderer, who, but for this ancient custom, would never 
have issued from his native town, as to Hans Sachs, such mo- 
ments no doubt there are, worth a whole life of ordinary existence. 
Visions of the future come before him in the warmest colors of 



GEEMANY. 293 



anticipated happiness ; and sweetest recollections of woods and 
green meadows, and harvest scenes full of happy people, and 
mountain glens, and sunshine and bright waters, and feelings in 
musical sympathy with them all, cling to him thence to his latest 
days, making his native land as hallowed to him as his own hearth 
and existence. 

If any one think this too poetical to be true, we can only advise 
him to enter the dwellings of such men as shoemakers, saddlers, 
or other such handicraft tradesmen, and talk with them and their 
families, and he will soon convince himself to the contrary. He 
will find something at once so manly and so friendly, such a do- 
mestic feeling and such a feeling of nature, as will most agreeably 
surprise him. We have no doubt whatever that it is this nature- 
loving and poetical feeling which so universally distinguishes the 
Germans, even to the commonest class ; which has been by means 
of these wanderings wonderfully developed in the man, and thence 
introduced into and diffused through every member of their fami- 
lies. It is this which sends them forth on all Sundays and holi- 
days in such crowds into the country to solitary wirthshouses in 
the woods, into the villages and the hills, to smoke their pipes 
and drink their coffee in orchards and garden-arbors, all Germany 
over. It is this which makes them read Goethe, Schiller, Hauff, 
and such other of their writers as abound in and cherish this spirit. 
It would have surprised many an Englishman, who has been ac- 
customed to regard a poor saddler but as a man who reads only 
his newspaper, and his wife and daughter nothing, to have heard 
such a family, into whose house we only went to get a strap 
mended which broke in passing, speaking of the delight with 
which they read such authors ; to have seen the glow of enthusi- 
astic pleasure which kindled in the father's eyes as you mentioned 
places in distant states where he had been in his wander-years ; 
and to hear them describe the heavenly pleasure it was to them 
on summer mornings to arise before the sun and ascend the neigh- 
boring mountains to a tower on their summit, and there to see the 
sun rise — the wide world below, the clear heavens above ; and 
then to take breakfast there with some of their friends. ' Oh !' 
said the wife, ' it was ganz himmlich, himmlich ! — quite heavenly, 
heavenly ! and it was impossible not to feel a spirit of worship.' 
The institutions and education which bring such a spirit and such 
feelings into the heart of the burgher families, are not only a do- 
mestic, but a national blessing ; and that such spirit and feelings 
abound in this class in Germany, you will at once discover when 
you will take the trouble to converse freely and kindly with its 
members. 



294 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



But to return : — It is a genuine pleasure to see the young men in 
such scenes as we have spoken of ; for there is no fine scenery 
where you do not meet them, evidently wandering as full of ad- 
miration and silent delight as the proudest traveler in his easy 
carriage. There is not an old castle or a battle-scene, famous for 
its fine location or its associations, where you do not encounter 
them ; and it is not easy to express the sympathy we felt for two 
such young men, very interesting and modest in their appearance, 
whom we crossed more than once on our route from Leipsic to 
Frankfort. At Eisenach they had ascended the Wartburg, cele- 
brated as the temporary abode of Luther, when carried off by his 
friend, the Elector of Saxony, on his return from Worms, in order 
to secure him from his enemies : as the earlier abode of the Earls 
of Thuringia, and scene of a celebrated contest of the Minnesing- 
ers ; and of late as the meeting-place of the Burschenschaft. The 
castle of the Wartburg is reached only by an ascent of about half 
an hour. We met these two youths ascending, after having trav- 
eled from a distant town, as we were descending. Seeing 
them again the next day, on the road, we asked them how they 
had been pleased with the castle, and the armory there. They 
replied that they had not been able to see it, because the door- 
keeper demanded three groschen, about fourpence, and they had 
only two between them. 

It is the same in cities. They visit galleries of art, public works, 
museums, public gardens, and out-of-door concerts, wherever their 
small means or the public liberality will admit them ; and if they 
observe the advice given them by the editors of their pocket-books, 
and keep a daily journal of what they see, however concise, they 
must lay up a great mass of information for their future use and 
reflection. By this national institution an advantage is bestowed 
on them, which the artisans of other countries do not enjoy, and 
calculated to enlarge their minds in no ordinary degree. It also 
affords the skillful and deserving many opportunities of advancing 
themselves with masters, whose favor they win, and of forming 
alliances with their families, which insure their future prosperity. 

On the other hand, the weariness and the disappointments 
which sensitive and unenterprising natures must encounter cannot 
be trifling. Long marches in heat and cold, with scanty means, 
when they meet with but little employ, or belong to penurious 
guilds, are sharp trials of patience. They have often to put up 
with the most wretched lodgings and fare, in obscure dorfs ; and 
if they fall ill there, far from their native home and friends, what 
a melancholy situation ! If our hearts ache as we walk through 
the hospitals of large cities, which monks and nuns maintain from 



AUSTRIA. 295 

public contributions, and act in as nurses and comforters — where 
all is clean and as cheerful as such places can be — how much 
more would they, if we could behold the wretched lair, in some 
wretched hamlet, -where the gesell, who has fallen ill by the way, 
perhaps five hundred miles from his friends, must lie, filled with 
sad longings toward his home and his family ties, till perhaps 
death release him ! Well may Hauff assert that many a poor 
wandering handworker carries a heart more heavy than his pack. 

But we apprehend now, setting aside the feather-beds and the 
wretched quarters in many common herberges, that the greatest 
perils lie in the pleasant wirthshouse, so enticing to the evening 
pedestrian, and the bright eyes which glance from beneath many 
a quaint head-dress, in dorfs, and fields, and cities on the way. 
Many a handsome youth have we seen gayly marching on, with 
knapsack on back and stick in hand, that would have figured 
finely as the hero of a romance, and no doubt was the hero of 
many, during the checkered period of his wanderschaft. 

Long, however, may the jocund handworker traverse the hills 
and highways of his native land, giving picturesque variety to its 
scenes, and gaining knowledge and experience for his future quiet ' 
and industrious burgher life." 



CHAPTER XX. 



AUSTRIA, 



Though forming a part of the German nation, or rather group 
of nations, Austria has large possessions in other countries. 
She controls the destinies of several foreign, and at one time inde- 
pendent, nations, and her grand policy is to blend them in a per- 
manent union, subjected to a single, uniform government. Hun- 
gary, Galicia, Bohemia, part of Poland, the Tyrol, as well as the 
Lombardo-Venetian kingdom in Italy, comprising the northern 
and by far the richest portion of the Italian peninsula, all are 
compelled to yield to the domination of Austria. Thus her pos- 
sessions are quite extensive, and her population numerous, though 
diversified. They amount to about 37,000,000. Let us visit 
Vienna, then, the capital of this large but unwieldy empire — a 
capital imposing and beautiful, swarming with inhabitants, but as 



296 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



gay, giddy, and licentious as any in Europe, essentially German 
in its general features and population, but mingling other races, 
costumes, and customs, held together and governed by the strong 
hand of military force. 

Vienna is full of theaters, churches, opera-houses, coffee-houses, 
and "kneipes," a species of gay restaurants, or drinking-places 
for the common people, thronged from morning to night. " What 
they want (in Vienna) is to live every minute, to enjoy every 
minute — and that they do. From the theater they go to the 
supper — next morning to mass — then to work, every man his 
own way — then out of one play into another. Wiser they will 
never be, and never were." The Prater, or public promenade, 
beyond the city, is the great pleasure-ground of the Viennese, and 
here their gay character is strikingly revealed. The following de- 
scription by Zelter, whose words we have just quoted, from his 
correspondence with Goethe, is the best we have seen. " Mon- 
day, July 26th. — Yesterday I saw the Prater in its Sunday glory. 
Four rows of the finest chestnut-trees form three avenues, which 
begin from the Leopold Stadt, and lead along the side of the 
Danube a league and a half. The middle one, for carnages, is 
forty-five feet wide ; the two sides, for walkers, are twenty-four 
feet. You see several hundred equipages, some of them extremely 
splendid, and fiacres all in motion in the center ; and at the sides, 
groups, couples, or solitary walkers, in such pretty confusion, that 
it is a pleasure to see so many handsome, well-dressed men and 
women, with the greatest variety of character and countenance, 
flitting by you like colored shadows. At the sides are coffee- 
houses and seats, under, the shade of the most beautiful clumps of 
trees, all exquisitely neat and clean. You sit down. Out of the 
thicket behind you comes the sound of music. You are now at 
the opera — now at a ball — now on the. parade. Coffee comes, 
and cakes with it. A child presents flowers ; a pretty girl offers 
crystal water ; an old woman tooth-picks : all these are feed with 
copper kreutzers (pennies), which you are glad to get rid of in 
so pleasant a way, for they are as heavy as a bad conscience, and 
weigh your pockets down to your heels. 

" But these avenues by no means constitute the whole Prater. 
A second and a third of the same kind extend, like a fan, from 
the Leopold Stadt to the Danube (it is properly an arm of the 
Danube). Here is the other pole of the planet ; — here is the real 
genuine people. The spaces between the trees grow wider as they 
approach the river, and are filled with places of refreshment, 
where beer, wine, eatables, and, except coffee, drinkables of all 
sorts, ice, &c, may be had. (The three coffee-houses, par excel- 



AUSTEIA. 



297 




13* 



AUSTEIA. 299 

lence, in the grand avenue, have the exclusive privilege of selling 
coffee.) These places of refreshment are in such number, and so 
near together, that you cannot distinguish the customers of one 
host from those of another, and you run a risk of eating what 
your neighbor has paid for. 

" This, then, is the true Vienna. Here, in the midst of all this 
serving, and sitting, and pouring, and smoking, and carousing, and 
fiddling, the universal stream and movement flow gayly and com- 
fortably on. People go or stay, come, speak to one another — it 
is unbroken quiet and ceaseless motion at the same time. No in- 
closures, no impediments ; for though the houses are the property 
of the inhabitants, the ground is the emperor's, and nobody may 
inclose it. The impression made by this moving scene — tumult I 
cannot call it — is an easy, gentle forgetfulness. I could not rec- 
ollect what I had thought or observed, and though I write all 
this, I can hardly affirm so it is — so it was." 

Leaving Vienna, let us sail down the broad bosom of the 
Danube, passing through vast forests, wide meadows, and mount- 
ain ranges, some of them clad in savage grandeur, and entering 
the regions of Hungary, make the acquaintance of the Slavonic 
races, most of whom are restive under the crushing hand of Aus- 
trian domination, and who, in the recent revolutions, would have 
thrown it off, but for the intervention of Russia. Here, on broad 
fields, waving with grain, or covered with cattle and horses, sur- 
rounded by mountains, and in the regions beyond, much of it cul- 
tivated, but much of it also wild and wooded, watered by the 
Danube and its various tributaries, live most of the Slavonic 
races of the Austrian Empire, under the names of Magyars, 
Croats, &c. Eastward, are the Latin races, as they are termed 
(most of them speaking the Latin language), and comprising the 
Wallachians of Hungary, Transylvania, and the military frontiers. 

Buda, the capital of Hungary, stands upon the right bank of 
the Danube, opposite the city of Pesth, famous in the late revo- 
lutions, forming, indeed, but one city, connected by a bridge of 
boats. The buildings are large and handsome ; and the popula- 
tion of both cities amounts to nearly a hundred thousand, the 
larger portion being resident in Pesth. 

But we defer, for the present, what we have to say respecting 
Hungary. In the mean while, we must form some idea of the 
relations sustained by Austria to its dependent possessions, in 
order to understand the true position and probable fate of Hun- 
gary. The emperors of Austria are descendants of the celebrated 
house of Hapsburg, who, in former times, displayed the greatest 
energy of character. Recently, however, they have sadly degen- 



300 THE WORLD WE LITE LN". 



erated. In the reign of Francis I., a mild, good-natured man, but 
without elevation of thought or manly energy, Metternich placed 
himself in a position to take the reins of government into his own 
hands. Francis I. was succeeded by the late emperor, Ferdinand 
I., whose name is scarcely known beyond the bounds of Austria, 
a man of narrow, trivial, superstitious temper, feeble in body, and 
equally feeble in mind, in fact, a mere automaton in the hands of 
Metternich. For the greater portion of the last half century, 'the 
true King of Austria has been the Prince de Metternich, or, as 
some of the Germans facetiously, but not inappositely, call him, 
Prince de Mitter-Nacht — that is, Prince Midnight — a man of giant 
energy and consummate political genius, but narrow, despotic, 
and selfish. 

The principal care of Metternich has been to give to the people 
of the Austrian dominions much physical prosperity, and to main- 
tain the existing order. " In this country," says a traveler, " the 
arms are put to labor, the stomach is well filled, the highways are 
well guarded, the fields well cultivated ; all would do if the peo- 
ple would not sometimes take a notion to think !" No liberty of 
the press ; no independence whatever ; the government keeps the 
nation under guardianship, and treats men like children who know 
not how to take care of themselves. A learned German one day 
reproached M. de Metternich with riot looking out for the future. 
"After me let the deluge come /" said the diplomatist. The deluge 
did come, and swept away Prince Metternich and the old Austrian 
despotism. But he found a quiet retreat in England, and lo ! by 
the help of the fierce Russians, every thing has been restored. 
The revolution of Vienna is subdued, and the house of Hapsburg 
once more occupies the imperial throne. The deluge, it seems, 
like other deluges, was only temporary, and produced less change 
than one- could have imagined. Prince de Metternich is back 
again in Vienna, only another has ostensibly taken his place. His 
role is pretty much finished, and it would not be well for him to 
appear at the head of affairs, but his advice, we presume, is 
deemed as valuable as ever. One of these days he will die, but 
his spirit, we fear, will not die for many years in Germany. 
Ferdinand I., too, has resigned, and Francis Joseph, his son, a 
young man of some capacity, has ascended the throne. A new 
and modified constitution has been proclaimed, but the principles 
and usages of the old regime are not essentially changed. Order 
and subjection reign in Vienna, and as far as may be, in the con- 
quered provinces. Hungary, torn and bleeding, is still. Lom- 
bardy, sick at heart, and exhausted with wounds, is prostrate in 
the dust. Robert Blum is dead. Count Batthyany, one of the 



AUSTRIA. 301 

noblest of the Protestant noblemen of Hungary, is in his grave. 
Kossuth is in exile, and his followers are either in chains, or rec- 
reant to the cause of freedom, or scattered over the face of the 
earth. Austria has her will — for the present, at least ; and her 
aim, therefore, will be to consolidate her empire at home and 
abroad. She claims that she has a right to Hungary by gift, and 
to Lombardy by conquest, and she will maintain her right, if she 
can. Neither individuals nor nations, ordinarily, are willing to 
abandon their possessions, however obtained. It is " human na- 
ture" (not transformed by Christian influences) to " keep what it 
has, and to get what it can." By flattering the Croats, and promis- 
ing them immunities, Austria has used them against their natural 
allies, the Hungarians ; and now it would seem that Austria is 
nearer than ever the great object of all her policy, which has been 
to divide and to conquer, and it is possible that the brave Magyars, 
the savage Croats, the rude, but simple-hearted Tcheques, the 
Poles of Galicia, and the natives of Transylvania, Illyria, Dalma- 
tia, and Wallachia, may be forced to blend in one common govern- 
ment. 



302 



THE WOELJ> WE LIVE IN". 



CHAPTER XXI. 



HUNGARY, 




Hungarian and Bohemian Costume. 

Hungary is comprised in the great oval plain or basin watered 
by the Danube, the Theiss, the Raab, the Leitha, and other trib- 
utaries of the Danube, surrounded on all sides except the south 
by lofty mountains, whence the rivers have their sources, and 
from which they rush to the plain, where the land is so level that 
their current is scarcely visible. If we include all that are usually 
styled Hungarians, composed of various Slavic tribes, Slovaks 
and Magyars, Croats, Germans, and Gipsies, who find their na- 



HUNGARY. 303 



tional home here, the population will amount to eleven or twelve 
millions. If, however, we confine it to the Magyar races and their 
dependents, it will be much less. The country is fertile, rich in 
cattle, and, among the mountains, in various metals, common and 
precious. The population is properly divided into the nobles and 
peasantry, the former enlightened and brave, the latter ignorant 
and rude, and, until recently, under the domination of the former. 
The Magyars occupy the heart of the country, and number 
4,450,000, more than one-half of whom profess the Protestant 
faith, the others being mostly Catholics. The superiority of the 
Magyars over their neighbors of other races is one of character ; 
for though many of them are well educated, the peasantry, as well 
as the middle classes, are behind the Germans. The hussar 
jacket, light pantaloons and boots, with a huge-brimmed hat, form 
the costume of the lower orders. The Hungarian costume, as 
worn in full dress by the higher classes, is quite imposing, and 
has been adopted by hussar regiments in various countries. The 
attila, or frock, and the mente, or long surcoat, trimmed with fur, 
are often substituted for the dolhnan, or short hussar jacket. 
The kalpack, or fur cap, with the costly heron's feather, forms 
the national head-gear ; and on official occasions, the saber is an 
indispensable addition to a gentleman's attire. The nobles are 
very numerous, and possess the landed property and influence of 
the country. Formerly they were free from taxation, and had 
the right of judging in their own affairs, but both of these high 
immunities they voluntarily resigned in 1836. Formerly, too, 
they much oppressed the peasantry ; but recently they have made 
common cause with them, and had they secured their independ- 
ence, would have conferred upon them still greater privileges. 

The Magyars are supposed to be of Asiatic origin. At what 
time they came into Hungary is not known. Anciently, they 
went by the general name of Pannonians. About the tenth cen- 
tury they established themselves on the great plains of the Danube, 
and its lower tributaries, formerly known as Dacia and Pannonia. 
Other races inhabited the country, Slavonian, Wallachian, &c, 
but the conquering Magyars have always been regarded as the 
ascendent race, much as the Normans were in England for some 
eight or nine centuries. Indeed, the Magyars are simply the war- 
rior caste of a former age, and as such, enjoyed certain immunities, 
and performed certain duties, such as the defense and vindication of 
the country in the time of war. These nobles formed a National 
Diet, governed by its own constitution and laws, to which they 
were elected by the Magyar race, both nobles and peasants. 

Indeed, Hungary was for centuries a military Republic, having 



304 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



for its executive head a President, or rather a limited Monarch, 
elected by the nobles. Though powerful and brave, the Hunga- 
rians were severely pressed by the Turks, at that time dominant 
and victorious, and were finally completely routed by them in 
1526, on the field of Mohacz, where their last king, Louis II., was 
slain, and the royal line extinguished. Ferdinand of Austria 
claimed to be heir to the throne vacated by the death of his 
brother-in-law. Though this claim was not recognized, it was 
felt that a nation sunk in the depths of calamity could not pro- 
voke another war, hence Ferdinand was elected King of Hungary, 
but sworn to protect her ancient rights and liberties, and to gov- 
ern in conformity to her laws. In all respects Hungary was to 
remain a distinct and independent nation, simply acknowledging 
allegiance to the house of Hapsburg. The crown was grasped ; 
the conditions were evaded or violated. 

In 168V, at the close of the long and triumphant war which 
broke forever the Turkish power, Leopold II. proceeded to con- 
summate the grand design of his house, to incorporate Hungary 
with the Austrian dominions, in which the will of the sovereign 
should be absolute and unquestioned. This Avas accomplished by 
treachery, torture, and bloodshed. The poor Hungarians were 
compelled to submit. Leopold was not only ruler of Austria, as 
well as Hungary, but emperor of Germany also, and his troops 
garrisoned every commanding post in the country. The Diet re- 
fused to acknowledge the hereditary title of the emperor ; but 
what could they do ? They were compelled to yield, but on con- 
ditions — conditions which were never observed. Each Austrian 
monarch in succession swore to observe the constitution, but 
never hesitated to violate it when his interests were at stake. 
Usurpations on the one side, with occasional concessions, almost 
uniformly withdrawn, and endeavors on the other to maintain 
their hereditary rights, form the subsequent history of the Hun- 
garian nation in its connection with Austria. Joseph II., after 
usurping the entire control of the government, and refusing even 
to call the Diet together, yielded to the ferment which such con- 
duct raised in Hungary, and once more took a solemn oath to ob- 
serve the Hungarian constitution, and maintain the ancient inde- 
pendence of the country. This was in 1*790, or just after the 
breaking out of the first French revolution. Many changes oc- 
curred, and the faithless house of Hapsburg deliberately violated 
all its engagements to Hungary. 

Gradually a patriotic and reform party, led by Count Batthyany, 
Kossuth, and other noble spirits, was formed in Hungary, and 
grew in influence and power. They demanded constitutional gov- 



HUNGAEY. 305 



ernment, the freedom of the press, a responsible ministry at Buda, 
an annual diet at Pesth, equality, civil and religious, representa- 
tion on the principle of equality, trial by jury, a national bank, a 
national guard, and so forth. Under the pressure of circum- 
stances, these were yielded by the Austrian monarch, trembling 
for his throne. The patriot Batthyany was instructed to form a 
Hungarian ministry, and did so. The noble Kossuth and his com- 
patriots became the legitimate rulers of the nation. 

But despotism recovered its energies, and instantly retracted its 
concessions, and as instantly made war upon Hungary. But how 
was this accomplished ? Hungary was tranquil and happy, and 
had no thought of a revolt or of a civil war. There was no re- 
source but to stir up "a war of races." The savage and jealous 
Croats, duped by their Ban, Jellachich, in the interest of Austria, 
and governed by the selfish hope of acquiring special privileges by 
the subjugation of Hungary, were led against their neighbors. 
The Hungarians, of course, resisted, and outlawed Jellachich, who 
had been secretly made governor of a part of their territory with- 
out their consent. The Austrian court was appealed to in this 
emergency, but temporized as usual, fulminating proclamations 
against Jellachich, but, of course, did nothing. Jellachich ad- 
vanced with his Croats into the heart of Hungary, plundering, 
ravaging, and murdering. At length the Hungarian Diet resolved 
to repel the outlawed marauder, and levied an army for this pur- 
pose. But the Austrians threw off the mask, and sent to the as- 
sistance, not the resistance, of Jellachich ; and the emperor actu- 
ally addressed him a letter of thanks for his fidelity and attach- 
ment ! 

As a final resort, a grand deputation of one hundred and sixty 
Hungarians, headed by the President of the Diet, made their way 
to Vienna to know what all this could mean, and to see if war 
could not, somehow, be averted. They were treated with con- 
tempt. The deputation returned, and announced to the people 
that there was no hope but in God and themselves ! 

The rest is well known. Jellachich was driven back, and the 
independence of Hungary would have been secured, but for the 
intervention of the Russian Bear. Blood flowed in torrents, and 
Hungary fell. The atrocities of the war were enormous. Riot 
and murder covered the land with desolation and woe. To de- 
scribe these would require volumes, and would only harrow the 
feelings. Take the following from the translation of a work by an 
Austrian officer, lately published in England, entitled " Scenes of 
the Civil War in Hungary," and from one, learn all. 
The writer takes up his quarters in a castle. 



306 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



" At tlie tramp of the horses, and the clank of swords, the 
porch- door opened, and an old man, a kind of steward, followed 
by servants with great lanterns, came toward us, asking who we 
were, and what was' our errand. I replied that I was an officer 
of the Emperor and King, belonging to the army of the Ban ; and 
requested, in the first place, to be conducted to the master of the 
mansion. The man obeyed, though with some reluctance, and 
led me into a spacious hall, which, by the dim light of a lamp, 
appeared to be a sort of ancestral hall. Large pictures were hung 
upon the walls, and between them swords, muskets, old armor, 
and arms of all kinds. 

" Here the castellan bade me wait, while he went to announce 
me ; and I availed myself of this moment to take off my cloak, to 
set my hair to rights a little, to fasten my dolman close about me, 
to tie my sash properly ; in short, to make myself as smart as I 
could. The old man presently came back, conducted me along a 
corridor, and then opened the folding doors of an apartment, 
whence issued the brilliant light of tapers. 

" Somewhat dazzled, I entered the apartment, which was most 
elegantly fitted up, where a tall, handsome lady received me with 
a polite but proud obeisance. I was just going to introduce my- 
self, and to apologize for my unbidden visit, when she extended 
her hand to me with loud exclamations of joy, ' Ah, Baron W. !' 

" I now recognized her. It was the Countess St , the 

Milan beauty, the wife of my old comrade, St , who once 

saved my life in Bologna, and who, after his marriage with the 

fair Marchesa B , had obtained leave to resign, and retired 

to his lordship in Hungary ; and I now found myself, without 
having suspected it, in his mansion. 

" Being called by his wife, he made his appearance immediately, 
and cordial was our embrace. He was still, as he ever had been, 
Magyar, both body and soul ; and told me frankly that he should 
long since have gone to Kossuth, had he not been restrained by 
the odious idea of being obliged to fight against his former com- 
rades ; but he assured me that he would yet do so. 

" I advised that we should not talk of political matters, but 
rather think of old times ; and his wife approved the suggestion. 
By-and-by came his sister, the young Countess Helene, the most 
beautiful Hungarian female I had ever seen ; and that is saying 
a great deal. 

" St gave me his word and honor that we were perfectly 

safe from any surprise by the enemy, and my men were abun- 
dantly supplied with wine and meat ; and, while they made them- 
selves comfortable outside, I found myself in Paradise, between 



HUNGARY. 307 



two beautiful and amiable females, opposite to a friend whom I 
had not seen for a long time, and before a glass of exquisite tokay. 
All weariness vanished ; and we joked and laughed half the night, 
forg-ettincr the war, and Kossuth, and nation.il hatred. 

" Two days I rested in St 's mansion, as a little respite 

was highly desirable for both men and horses. The eyes of the 
Countess Helene began to be dangerous for me ; but upon the 
earth the soldier has no abiding quarters. On the third morning, 

with a tear in my eye, I pressed St to my breast, kissed 

the cheek of his wife and his sister ; the latter plucked a rose-bud 
for me as a keepsake, my trumpeter sounded ' to horse,' and aAvay 
we dashed." 

When next they meet it is under different circumstances : 

" He had, as we often have said, a serious engagement with the 
Magyars, in which there were, on both sides, at least ten or twelve 
thousand men in the fire. On this occasion the enemy again had 
a numerous and excellent light cavalry, and had the skill to em- 
ploy it on ground favorable for himself, so that our infantry was 
repeatedly exposed to the most violent attacks, and had the great- 
est difficulty to ward them off. 

" Two squadrons, in particular, of very well organized and 
equipped Honveds, distinguished themselves by their furious 
charges on Croatian infantry battalions, and could not, at last, 
be compelled to retreat but by several discharges of grape, which 
made dreadful havoc in their ranks. 

" The leader of this corps', a man of tall, elegant figure, in the rich 
dress of a magnate, mounted on a superb, spirited, gray stallion, 
which he managed with great dexterity, was indefatigable in al- 
ways rallying his men, and leading them back against our infantry. 
He galloped to and fro with as much unconcern as if the balls 
whizzing around him were but snow-balls, continually flourishing 
his glistening blade. 

" The figure of the rider seemed to be well known to me ; but 
I could not distinguish his features, as we were drawn up in rear 
of our column of infantry, at the distance of some hundred paces 
from him. 

" Twice he had escaped unhurt the fire of our infantry ; when, 
as I have already mentioned, some guns, which had meanwhile 
come up, began to fire with grape. He seemed not to heed the 
first discharge, for I saw him, still brisk and animated as ever, 
galloping about at the head of his men. The second must have 
been directed better ; for, when the smoke cleared off, I could 
perceive the horse and rider on the ground. 

" At the same moment we received the signal for charging. 



308 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



The ranks of our infantry suddenly opened to let us pass through, 
and we advanced at full gallop upon the enemy's horse. These, 
at first, retired precipitately, to get beyond the range of our can- 
non, then rallied, and drove us back ; we did the same by them ; 
and so we went on, till at length, as it is usual in Hungary, the 
whole dissolved into single combats, in which man is engaged, 
hand to hand, with man. 

" It was nearly dark, when, with my troop, some of whom were 
killed, others severely wounded, I reached the main body. Scarcely 
had we unsaddled, and, tired to death, I was about to stretch my- 
self by the watch-fire, fed with the ruins of houses which had 
been pulled down, when an infantry soldier, appointed to hospital 
duty, came to inform me that an officer of the insurgents, danger- 
ously wounded and taken prisoner, having heard my name, wished 
to speak to me. 

" In spite of weariness, I immediately followed my guide to the 
hurdle-shed, which was fitted up for a hospital. Dismal was the 
appearance of this dark, low place, scantily lighted by the hand- 
lanterns of the surgeons and attendants, who, with their blood- 
stripped sleeves tucked up high, and with aprons equally bloody, 
were busily engaged. The wounded lay close to one another upon 
dirty straw, which, in places, was quite wet and slippery from the 
blood upon it. Loud and gentle sighs, moans, groans, gnashing 
of teeth, mingled at times with curses in the Bohemian, Polish, 
Hungarian, German, and Croatian languages. I was obliged to 
rally my courage, lest I should be scared back. 

" In the furthest comer of the long building, on a bed of straw, 
lay the wounded prisoner who wished to speak to me. How was 
I shocked when the light of the attendant's lantern fell upon his 
face, and I recognized Count St ! 

" On our march through Croatia to Vienna I had passed two 
days at his mansion ; had seen him in the society of two charming 
women — his wife and his sister— in the full enjoyment of happi- 
ness ; and now, in what a state was I doomed to find him ! 

St : — , a Magyar to the inmost fiber of his heart, had, indeed, 

then told me that he should take up arms for Kossuth ; but thus 
to meet him again I was not at all prepared. 

" Kneeling by the side of my pale friend, whose noble counte- 
nance bore the evident impress of speedy death, I grasped his cold 
hand, and asked in what way I could be serviceable to him. 
' Thank you for coming,' he replied, in a voice scarcely audible, 
and this effort manifestly caused him great pain : ' I heard that 
you were here, and I sent for you. I am dying ; my chest is 
shattered. When I am dead, take the pocket-book out of my 



HUNGARY. 309 



uniform and send it to my wife, who lives at K ; it contains 

my will and other papers.' 

" Here he made a long pause, during which I strove to cheer 
him. 

" ' Don't talk thus — 'tis of no use — we part as friends — I have 
fought for my country —you are faithful to your colors.' 

" I pressed his hand in silence. 

" ' Where is your sister Helene ?' I at length asked. 

" ' With the army,' he answered — ' she is fighting for Hun- 
gary.' 

" It was now a considerable time before St could utter 

a word. He moaned, gently ; and a regimental surgeon, who 
came to us, significantly made the sign of the cross with his 
finger. 

" At length, after a full hour, he suddenly raised himself and 
said, ' So — now 'tis all over — salute Marie, the name of wife — 
Marie !' and with that he stretched himself out, his eye-strings 
broke, and his spirit fled." 

The tragedy concludes with the fate of the lovely sister of his 
host, who, like many a Polish victim of the fair sex, had braved 
danger in her country's cause : 

" Satisfied on this point, I set out, with my two attendants, on 
my return to the watch-fire, the tall flame of which flared up 
cheeringly before us ; when, the moon shining tolerably bright, 
we perceived a human figure lying at the foot of a tree. 

" We went nearer ; it was a woman, dressed as a man, in the 
costume of a Hungarian magnate ; the long hair which fell over 
her shoulders betrayed her sex. My serassans turned her round, 
and by the pale moonbeams I recognized Helene, the lovely sister 

of my friend, St . Inexpressible anguish thrilled me that 

moment, and I was well-nigh throwing myself upon the corpse. 

" Forcibly mustering my spirits, I ordered my men to carry the 
body to the fire. There we examined it more closely, and, with 
extreme anxiety, I sought to ascertain whether there was any hope 
left of reviving her. Vain hope ! it was several hours since her 
spirit had departed ; the ball of one of our riflemen had gone 
through her heart. From the small red wound the blood was 
still oozing in single drops, which I carefully caught in my hand- 
kerchief, to be preserved as a relic. 

" My only consolation was that the deceased could not have 
suffered long ; that she must have expired the very moment she 
was struck. Those pure, noble, still wondrously beautiful fea- 
tures—on her brow dwelt peace and composure, and the lips 
almost smiled. There she lay as if in tranquil slumber ; and yet 



310 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



those eyes were never more to open — those lips never more to 
utter noble sentiments or words of kindness. 

" My hussars were visibly affected, and thought it a pity that 
one so young and so beautiful should die so early. Many of them, 
who had been with me on our first march through Hungary, for 

two days together at St 's mansion, instantly recognized 

Helene, and doubly lamented her death, because she had shown 
such kindness to them. 

" We thawed, by a fire, the ground not far from a maple-tree, 
and were employed nearly the whole night in digging a large, 
deep grave with our hand-bills and swords. By the time the first 
rays of dawn appeared we had finished ; a hussar, who could do 
carpenter's work, having meanwhile made a simple cross out of 
the stems of two white maples. 

" The corpse, in full uniform ; the kolpack, with plume of glis- 
tening heron's feathers, on the head, the light Turkish saber by 
her side, was then carefully wrapped in a clean, large blanket, 
which we had with us, and so deposited in the grave, which we 
filled up with earth. Then, regardless of caution, I had a full 
salute fired with pistols over the grave. I have preserved a small 
gold ring and a lock of her hair for a memorial. When our mel- 
ancholy business was finished, we moved off after the enemy, who 
retreated rather hastily. 

" The tempestuous feeling that filled my heart I am not able to 
describe. Helene had, as I subsequently learned, served as aid- 
de-camp to her maternal uncle, who commanded a considerable 
Magyar corps, and was shot, when acting in that capacity, by our 
soldiers, in the above-mentioned action." 



CHAPTER XXII. 



BOHEMIA AND POLAND. 



Reascending the Danube, as far as Vienna, we strike off at 
right angles, and after journeying a hundred and sixty miles, 
through a fine agricultural country, find ourselves in the ancient 
city of Prague, the capital of Bohemia, magnificently situated on 
both sides of the Moldau, having forty-eight churches, several of 
them antique and beautiful, sixteen monasteries, nineteen syna- 
gogues — for there are seven or eight thousand Jews resident here, 



BOHEMIA AND POLAND. 31 1 



in addition to a population of about a hundred thousand souls — 
several elegant palaces, among which are the imperial castle and 
palace of Wallenstein, a large university, and other public edifices 
of striking and imposing forms, and in every part, particularly to- 
ward the river, which is spanned by a superb bridge of sixteen 
arches, strongly fortified. Its university is one of the oldest and 
most celebrated in Germany, having a library of a hundred thou- 
sand volumes, a corps of learned professors, and many students. 
John Huss, Jerome, usually styled Jerome of Prague, and Jaco- 
bellus, learned and eloquent divines and reformers of Bohemia, 
were professors in this university, and served to kindle a flame in 
their native land which will never be extinguished. Huss and 
Jerome were both burned at Constance, having been condemned 
as heretics by a furious papal council, but the spirit of their genius 
and character lived after them, and has modified the whole aspect 
of Bohemian history.* Prague is the center of an extensive com- 
merce and of a wide-spread literary and moral influence, and, as 
in former times, is still destined to play an important part in the 
affairs of Germany. It has suffered much from war, change, and 
revolution, and, we fear, will yet be called to endurance and trial. 
The country of Bohemia is one of the finest in the world. It 
resembles an immense concavity or basin, considerably elevated 
above the level of the sea, surrounded on all sides by lofty mount- 
ains, rich with various metals, and presenting diversified aspects 
of grandeur and beauty. The Elbe receives all the waters of this 
fair valley, and breaking through the Erzegebirge, passes into Sax- 
ony, whence it pursues its way, through the heart of Northern 
Germany, to Hamburg and the sea. The land is fertile, free from 
marshes and all kinds of noxious influences, and the air is pure 
and bland. Italy itself has not a serener sky. Spring, summer, 
and winter pass into each other with a delightful variety of tem- 
perature. The mountain ranges are covered with pines and other 
trees. In the interior are extensive forests, the haunt of wild an- 
imals, and the scene of many a strange romance. It forms the 
most northern and northwestern portion of the Austrian Empire, 
and has a population of 4,600,000, ingenious, hardy, cheerful, and 
enterprising. The ancient literature of Bohemia is rich and various, 
and recently it has been revived. The majority of the inhabitants 
are of Slavic origin, like the Magyars and others, but intermingled 



* In the museum at Frankfort is an admirable painting, we think by Lea- 
sing, of John Huss before the Diet at Constance. The figures an 1 attitudes 
are very striking. An engraving of this fine painting, we believe, has been 
published. 



312 THE WOKLD WE LIVE EST. 



with Germans. They are famous for their manufactures, partic- 
ularly in glass, and, above all, for their noble dispositions and 
great musical talents. A large proportion of the inhabitants are 
Protestants, but the Catholics, favored by government, are also 
numerous and influential. The latter are said to be peculiarly 
superstitious. In no place is the reverence for relics and images 
carried further than in Prague. The bridge over the Moldau is 
lined with an avenue of statues, before which numbers of people 
may be seen kneeling, and even prostrating themselves, in the 
most humble postures. 

The history of Bohemia, from time immemorial, has been one of 
outrage and wrong, of persecution and oppression. Of Slavic 
origin, and cherishing the memory of their ancient independence, 
they sigh for freedom and equal rights. But Austria has kept 
her foot on the neck of Bohemia, as on that of Hungary. Her 
method here has been the same as elsewhere — to excite the differ- 
ent races, German and Slavonic, against each other, and by that 
means to keep both in quiet subjection. The Protestants, espe- 
cially from the time of John Huss, have been called to special 
suffering and trial. Crushed, and all but extinguished under the 
tyranny of Austrians and Jesuits, it is wonderful that they have 
survived at all, and especially that they should possess so much 
vitality and strength. In the beginning of the seventeenth cen- 
tury, before the thirty years' war, which was a war of religion, 
there were in Bohemia 732 great and small towns, 34,700 villages 
or hamlets, and 3,000,000 of souls. After this war there re- 
mained but 130 towns, 6000 villages, and 780,000 inhabitants! 
It may be imagined what massacre and burning, what torture and 
bloodshed, what imprisonment and exile must have preceded such 
a state of things ! In the year 1630 the whole country presented 
one scene of ruin, horror, and blood. 

What was the crime of the Bohemians which brought upon 
them such fearful punishment ? Adhering to their faith, and, 
when persecuted, defending it with their life — nothing more ! 
For this, soldiers and priests devoured the land, and Protestant- 
ism was banished to the forests and mountains ! The nobles and 
people that remained embraced the religion of the conquerors. 

For 250 years this state of things continued. At last a depu- 
tation of Protestants, emerging from their concealment, found a 
favorable audience at the court of Joseph II., who granted them 
leave once more to celebrate their worship, and, though suffering 
heavy disabilities from the conduct of the dominant priests, they 
began to prosper. 

But once more Bohemia has suffered from change and revolu- 



BOHEMIA AND POLAND. 313 



tion ; her hopes of freedom and prosperity have been crushed. 
The Austrian eagle, with her talons deep in the heart of the na- 
tion, exults over her prey. Protestantism, of course, bears the 
brunt of this new and painful reverse. 

The present position and prospects of Bohemia will be under- 
stood from the following narrative : 

" There are in this country two wholly distinct races, the 
Tcheches, and the Germans. The Tcheches belong to the numer- 
ous family of Slaves, or Slavonians. They were originally set- 
tled on the shores of the Black Sea, and came into Bohemia about 
the middle of the sixteenth century. They were converted to 
Christianity by the missionaries Methodius and Cyril. Their 
creeds, their religious observances, were derived from the Greek 
Church, not the Latin Church, and this explains why, some ages 
later, they adopted so easily the opinions of John Huss. 

The Tcheches speak a dialect of the Slavonian language. 
Those who have studied this idiom affirm that it is full of force, 
precision, grace, and originality. The Bohemians have long stud- 
ied literature, the sciences and arts, with the greatest success. 
They have particularly a taste for mathematics and music. The 
restorer of modern astronomy, Copernicus, was a Bohemian. At 
the time of the thirty years' war they reckoned a host of good 
writers, and had expensive libraries. But Austrians, Italians, 
Spanish monks, who invaded the country, burnt the books of Bo- 
hemians as heretics. They searched houses, and seized without 
ceremony all works of national literature. Some of these fanatical 
inquisitors boasted of having cast into the fire more than 60,000 
volumes. From that moment scientific and literary studies dis- 
appeared, and the celebrated University of Prague was but the 
shadow of what it had been. 

Still, with their surprising elasticity of character, the Tcheches 
did not sink under so great calamities. They sought in their in- 
dustry a means of restoring prosperity to their country. They 
worked rich mines of iron, lead, sulphur, and coal. Their manu- 
factures of glass are celebrated in all Europe. They established 
cotton and woolen manufactures. At present the Tcheches com- 
pose a population of 2,560,000 individuals, and their writers have 
begun again to cultivate ancient literature. They have poets, his- 
torians, and antiquarians who enjoy a just renown. 

By the side of the Tcheches is the Teutonic, or German race, 
consisting in Bohemia of about 1,000,000 souls. The Germans, 
as you see, are a minority. Having come later than the Tcheches, 
they do not constitute the basis of the Bohemian population. 
But, protected by the emperors, under the influence of the priests, 

14 



314 THE WOELD WE LITE IN. 



enjoying the highest offices, and favored in every way by the 
court of Vienna, they have long ruled over the nation. All pub- 
he acts must be registered in the German language. The army, 
the government officers, the courts of justice, all were obliged to 
employ the idiom of the conqueror, like the Anglo-Saxons under 
the first successors of William the Conqueror. The poor Tcheches 
could not preserve their language except in the family circle. 

Such was the condition of the two races in Bohemia when the 
revolution of Paris occurred. The oppressed nations leaped for 
joy, and despots trembled on their old thrones. On the 11th of 
March a popular assembly was convened at Prague. The hall 
for meeting was filled to overflowing. Earnest addresses were 
delivered, and the audience adopted unanimously the draft of a 
petition containing the following points: 1. Equality of the two 
races in schools, in courts of justice, and before the government ; 

2. Obligation of every magistrate to speak the two languages ; 

3. Union of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia under the direction of 
one common diet, assembled sometimes at Prague, sometimes at 
Brunn ; 4. An elective national representation ; 5. Publicity of 
judicial proceedings, liberty of the press, arming of the people, 
security for personal liberty ; 6. Equality of all religious confes- 
sions ; 7. Abolition of feudal rights, privileges of nobles, &c. 
This was a complete list of reforms. In the first moments of en- 
thusiasm, the petition was covered with thousands of signatures. 
Germans and Tcheches seemed to have forgotten their long rival- 
ries, and put their names on the same page. Students, municipal 
councilors, magistrates, and even many nobles partook of the gen- 
erous impulse. The petition was carried to Vienna by delegates 
chosen by all classes of the nation. 

A popular revolution had just occurred in Vienna, the 14th of 
March. Prince de Metternich had fled ; the Emperor Ferdinand 
had no more authority ; the new ministers of state professed the 
most liberal opinions. They received with much complaisance the 
delegation from Bohemia, and promised, with some slight reserves, 
to grant all that the petitioners asked. 

A splendid feast was given to the delegates on their return to 
Prague, the 27th of March. The houses were ornamented with 
the national flag of white and red. The students and the civic 
guard formed a long file, from the gates of the city to the hotel of 
the commune. Twelve girls, in white satin robes, walked in the 
midst of the train ; children, Avith red and white scarfs, bore flow- 
ers and flags. The carriages of the delegates were crowned with 
laurels ; after them came the ecclesiastics of all communions, and 
the academic senate. The bells were rung ; fireworks were dis- 



BOHEMIA AND POLAND. . 315 



played ; the ladies waved their handkerchiefs : all breathed the 
joy of triumph 

Vain delusion of people, who believe that sovereigns will yield 
voluntarily any portion of their power ! In spite of De Metter- 
nich's fall, and the change of cabinet, the court of Vienna acted 
with its usual duplicity. Not daring to resist openly the people's 
enthusiasm, it resorted to artifices to gain time. What difficulty 
was there in making promises ? Have kings and their ministers 
ever lacked reasons to violate the most solemn engagements ? 

The plan of the court of Vienna, as afterward appeared, was 
this : To awaken and imbitter animosities between the Tcheches 
and the Germans ; to employ the Tcheches to resist the efforts of 
the parliament at Frankfort for union, then to set the Germans 
at variance with the Tcheches ; in a word, to follow strictly the 
Machiavellian policy, which is, to divide and conquer. 

An occasion soon offered to carry out this detestable policy. 
All the German nations had been called upon to choose delegates, 
who should meet at Frankfort, and try to establish a common 
constitution, and a uniform organization for the whole empire. 
The Austrian cabinet, who could not oppose openly the plan of 
union, sent an invitation to the inhabitants of Bohemia, calling on 
them to exercise their electoral rights. But at the same time they 
commissioned secret agents to stir up the hereditary jealousies of 
the Tcheches. These perfidious emissaries went from town to 
town, from village to village, saying : ' What ! you, the boasted 
descendants of Wenceslas and of Ziska; you, members of the 
great Slavonian race, will you consent to be governed by the 
babbling professors and the silly pedants of Frankfort ? Have 
you not been long enough subjected to strangers ? Beware ! the 
Germans are not your friends. They will impose upon you new 
taxes, and afterward they will laugh at your credulity ! Let the 
Bohemian Hon, then, erect his shaggy main, and let the citizens of 
Frankfort tremble in their frail defenses !' 

These arts of deception had the desired effect. At Prague, no 
elector dared appear to vote for deputies to the parliaments of 
Frankfort. The districts peopled mostly by Germans went to 
the polls, but the number of deputies at the Central Diet was not 
more than twelve for all Bohemia. 

The Austrian ministers had then realized already a part of their 
plan. The Germans, both in the interior of Bohemia and abroad, 
were greatly exasperated. They bitterly accused the Tcheches 
of violating the national union, and of impairing the strength of 
the Germanic empire, to gratify a silly pride. What had become 
of the new union and harmony ? Where was the procession of 



316 THE WOULD WE LIVE EN". 



boys and girls of the two races, who, hand in hand, had graced 
the feast of Prague ? It was all an empty, ridiculous show ! 
Hatred, envy, and discord had again appeared ! 

But it was not enough for the cabinet of Vienna to rekindle 
division between the two races — they must now strike a great 
blow at the Tcheches. Accordingly, the various tribes of Slavo- 
nians in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Gallicia, Transylvania, &c, had 
resolved to hold a preparatory meeting at Prague, early in June. 
They wished to constitute the Slavonian union, in opposition to 
the German union. This plan did not suit the Austrian court — 
for fourteen millions of Slavonians would have a preponderating 
influence in political affairs. Artifice and perfidy were again em- 
ployed by Metternich's disciples. 

. On the 2d of June, nearly three hundred deputies attended at 
solemn mass in Sprague. There were Slavonians of the north 
and of the south, Croatians, Servians, Dalmatians, with haughty 
and savage countenances, the long mustache, and the face bronz- 
ed by the sun. They wore the ancient national costume, cloaks 
of white or red velvet, and the people chanted the songs of the 
Hussite war. 

From the 2d to the 10th of June the congress held its sessions. 
The deputies passed three important acts. First, they addressed 
to the nations of Europe a manifesto, in which they insisted reso- 
lutely on the rights and independence of the Slavonian nation ; 
next they prepared a petition to the Emperor of Austria, asking 
for all the liberties of modern times ; lastly, they resolved to form 
& federal compact between all the families of their race. This was 
a gigantic plan. The Slavonians would form a vast confederation, 
from the shores of the Adriatic to the frontiers of Russia, and la- 
bor thus for the emancipation of the Poles. 

What did the court of Vienna do in this extremity? They 
stirred up the common people by means of secret agents. The 
Tcheches of Prague, laborers, merchants, and students, took arms 
on the 12th of June, against the Germans. The latter sought 
means of defense. Gen. Windisch-Gratz, lieutenant of the Em- 
peror of Austria, assembled his army and planted cannon in the 
streets of the city. The Bohemians constructed barricades, after 
the example of the Parisians. The contest was severe and bloody ; 
it raged for five days with incredible fury. Many of the deputies 
of the Tcheches took part in the combat. Gen. Windisch-Gratz 
sent bombs against the houses of Prague, and burnt whole sec- 
tions of the city. On the 18th of June the civil war was ended. 
The Slavonian congress had dispersed, the national committee 
was dissolved •• the Tcheches were again subdued. 



BOHEMIA AND POLAND. 317 



Thus the Austrian cabinet secured a double advantage. After 
having opposed the plan of a Germanic union by means of the 
Tcheches, they had conquered these last by the swords of Ger- 
mans! At present a judicial inquest is opened, and there will 
be numerous victims. Unhapp)*- nations, who have to struggle 
against the cunning and intrigues of courts !" 

Close to Bohemia lies Moravia, with a numerous and industrious 
population. Though once independent, like Hungary and Bohe- 
mia, Moravia belongs to Austria. In this country originated the 
pious and simple-hearted " Moravian Brethren," famous for their 
self-denying missions in Africa, Labrador, and Greenland. Hernn- 
hut, founded by Count Zinzendorf, is a scene of quiet industry, 
order, cheerfulness, and devotion. Their forms of worship some- 
what resemble those of the Episcopal Church. They are fond of 
music, and use it in all their services. Their grave-yard is a place 
of much rural beauty. The dead are conveyed thither, and laid 
in their quiet resting-place, to the sound of sacred song. 

From Bohemia and Moravia we pass to unhappy Poland — 
Poland no longer, except in name ! This ancient kingdom, con- 
taining some five millions of inhabitants, and occupying a fine 
tract of country, rich in corn and other agricultural products, has 
been utterly absorbed by the three great Powers, as they are 
called, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Warsaw, an irregularly 
built and large commercial city on the banks of the Vistula, is the 
capital, grotesque in its appearance, from the commingling of the 
most elegant with the most miserable buildings, and grotesque 
also from its population, consisting of native Poles, Germans, 
Jews, Slavonians, Greeks, Frenchmen, and Italians, monks, nuns, 
nobles, beggars, and merchants, all dressed in their peculiar cos- 
tumes. The aspect of society resembles a perpetual masquerade : 
long-bearded Jews, monks in the garb of every order, vailed and 
shrouded nuns ; bevies of young Polish ladies, in silk mantles of 
the brightest colors, promenading the broad squares ; the dignified 
ancient Polish noble, with mustaches, caftan, girdle, saber, and 
red or yellow boots ; the new generation, equipped to the highest 
pitch of Parisian dandyism ; with Turks, Greeks, Russians, Ital- 
ians, Germans, and Frenchmen, in an ever-changing throng ! 

The Poles belong to the great Slavic race, having an Asiatic 
cast of countenance, derived, probably, from their Tartar origin. 
They are well formed and tall, with good features, and often fair 
complexion. The population of the country is much mixed. 
Generally they profess the Catholic faith, and, except among the 
higher classes, are ignorant and fanatical. The nobles are brave 
and hospitable, impatient of constraint, and ardent for freedom. 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



Fond of show, gayety, and amusement, they are not without the 
vices of vanity and licentiousness. 

Every one has heard of the misfortunes of Poland. Partitioned 
among her enemies three several times, Cracow, one of her most 
ancient cities, and once the residence of the Polish kings, was left 
the center of a little republic, free and independent. Situated in 
a wide plain on the banks of the Vistula, with a serene atmos- 
phere, a fertile soil, glorious views of distant mountain ranges 
extending from the Black Sea to the river Danube, superb old 
buildings and venerable monuments, those, for example, of So- 
bieski, of Kosciusko, of Poniotowski, of Dembrowski, the most 
illustrious heroes of Poland ; and in the center of the city the 
castle built by Casimir the Great, and under whose arches had 
passed no less than six powerful dynasties, Cracow was the pride 
of its citizens, and the pride even of Poland far and near. But 
Cracow, insignificant as a republic, was too much for the jealous 
eyes of Austria, Russia, and Prussia, and that, too, must be anni- 
hilated ! So that a fourth, and a last time, Poland has been par- 
titioned and swallowed by these greedy wolves ! 



CHAPTER XXIII, 



As we are among the Slavic or Slavonian race, called such, not 
because they were ever slaves, though some of them even now 
are in a condition of serfdom, but simply to distinguish them from 
the German and other races, we will pass into Russia, the princi- 
pal home of the Northern Slavi, and one of the most powerful 
empires in the world. The progress of Russia, within a compar- 
atively short period, in all the elements of political power, has 
been surprising. Her strength and resources are becoming abso- 
lutely colossal. By no means restricted to Europe, Russia has 
extensive possessions in Northern Asia. Should she conquer the 
Circassians, who vigorously resist her, she may extend her con- 
quests to Persia, and even to Hindostan. Her entire possessions 
occupy an area of over eight millions of square miles, and her 
population, consisting of Russians, Poles, Germans, Greeks, Turks, 



EUSSIA. 



319 







EUSSIA. 321 

Tartars, Jews, &c, amount to not less than sixty-seven millions ! 
In Europe alone, Russia has an area of over two millions of square 
miles, and sixty-two millions of inhabitants. Of these, about forty- 
eight millions belong to the Slavic race. 

The external aspect of Russia is distinguished by immense level 
plains, called steppes, prodigious forests, and large rivers. Much 
of it is unoccupied and barren, but much of it also is fertile and 
cultivated. All the products of agriculture are abundant here. 
Gold, silver, platinum, and other metals are found in the Ural 
Mountains. The external as well as internal commerce of the 
country is very considerable. Long canals and railroads, the for- 
mer chiefly, connect the White, Black, Caspian, and Baltic Seas. 
Internal commerce is also greatly facilitated by the snow in win- 
ter, over which sleighs, heavily laden with produce and mer- 
chandise, travel with rapidity. Great fairs are held in different 
places, to which crowds of merchants and others are attracted 
from all parts. In the south the climate is mild and pleasant, in 
the north cold, in winter intensely so, the wind sweeping vio- 
lently over the vast level plains, and freezing every thing which 
it touches. Still, it is not unhealthy in these northern regions, 
and what with furs and fires, the people contrive to make them- 
selves comfortable. 

St. Petersburg, one of the largest and most magnificent cities 
in the world, is the capital, built at the mouth of the Neva, or 
Newa, which is here 1200 feet wide, with a population of nearly 
500,000 inhabitants.* The streets are from 70 to 150 feet wide, 
intersected by spacious canals, embanked by massive parapets of 
stone, and spanned by innumerable handsome bridges. The quays 
are extensive and superb. Palaces and public buildings, mostly 
in a style of great magnificence, line the banks of the Neva, and, 
indeed, adorn the principal streets of the city. In the square 
opposite the Isaac Bridge stands the colossal equestrian statue of 
Peter the Great. The huge block of granite which forms its 
pedestal is upward of 1500 tons weight. Its appearance is grand 
and striking, having an air of dignity and triumph. Some of the 
churches are beautiful and imposing. The Kazan Church is of 
great dimensions, and built of white marble. That of St. Isaac 
is still more magnificent. Petersburg is the seat of a large and 
well-endowed university. The imperial library has 300,000 vol- 
umes. The city is also supplied with literary and scientific insti- 
tutions, botanical gardens, and cabinets of natural history. In 
winter, it presents a most animated appearance, for every where 

* Moscow is sometimes spoken of as the old, or first, capital. 
14* 



322 



THE WOELD WE LITE EST. 



on the Neva, and the canals which traverse its whole extent, com- 
pletely frozen over, innumerable skaters flit from point to point, in 
rapid and exhilarating motions. Sledges, of all shapes and dimen- 
sions, whirl through the streets, and the frosty atmosphere rings 
with the crack of the whip and the shout of postillions. Ice 
mountains also are formed, consisting of inclined planes, high and 
steep, coated with ice, down which the people descend in cars, 01 
on skates, with great velocity ; an amusement of which all are ex 
cessivelv fond. 




Statue of Peter the Great. 



As a general thing, Russia is thinly inhabited, so that traveling 
is not the most agreeable. The roads are rough, except in winter, 
when covered with snow ; the inns, if such they may be called, 
few and far between ; the drowsy station-houses, where post- 
horses are supplied, are without accommodations ; and the bound- 
less plains monotonous and wearisome. The traveler must carry 
with him his bed, provisions, and cooking utensils. The horses 



EUSSIA. 323 

are harnessed to clumsy vehicles, in the shape of landaus, four 
or five abreast, with a single horse as leader, and perhaps another 
in the shafts. But they dash along over the frozen ground at a 
considerable rate, and the travelers may sleep as much as they 
can, amid mountains of fur. The sledges are of various forms and 
qualities. Some are plain enough ; others are gaudily Ornamented. 
Among these are the kibitki, a rude carriage, without springs, ex- 
cept to the seats, and shaped like a boat ; and the droski, a squat 
affair, with a hollow center, in which the passenger is scarcely two 
feet from the ground. In some of these carnages he sits astride, 
as on a narrow saddle, going so rapidly, sometimes, that the novice 
is compelled to hold on to the driver's sash. In severe winters, 
passengers, and even drivers, not unfrequently perish from the 
cold. What changes the introduction of railroads in Russia will 
produce we know not, but they must be considerable. The jour- 
ney from St. Petersburg to Moscow must become a very different 
thing from what it has been. In 1789, no less than 14,000 per- 
sons were frozen to death on the road between these two capitals. 
In Russia, it is no uncommon thing to see a person who has lost 
an ear or a nose, or other member of his body, by exposure to 
cold. Limbs are sometimes sacrificed where life escapes. Such, 
however, is the obtuseness of feeling which intense cold produces, 
that passengers in the streets of St. Petersburg rely on one 
another for the friendly warning, that their noses are about to pre- 
cede them to the tomb ! 

The population of Russia is highly diversified, and held together 
only by the iron bands of the government. The Slavonic race, as 
we have seen, including the Russians, the Poles, and the Cossacks, 
form the majority. The Cossacks occupy the southern provinces 
on the Don and the Black Sea. They are rough and warlike. 
The Finnic race includes the Finns, or natives of Finland, Estho- 
nians, Laplanders, and other tribes scattered over the country, 
from the Tornea to the Ural Mountains, generally poor, rude, and 
simple-hearted. The Tartars, or Turkish race, are scattered over 
the extensive plains which stretch between the Dniester and the 
Caucasus, comprising the inhabitants of the former kingdoms of 
Kazan and Astrachan, and various tribes chiefly under their own 
government, generally nomadic in their habits, without agriculture 
and fire-arms, and of course rude and heathenish. To the Mongol 
race belong the Calmucks, in the southeastern governments, indo- 
lent and savage. The Samoiedes compose numerous small, rude 
tribes wandering through the vast wilderness of the northeast- 
ern coast. In addition to these, Russia contains a considerable 
number of German colonists, Swedes, in Finland, who hate the 



324 THE WORLD WE LIVE IINT. 



Russians, Jews, Armenians, Gipsies, and other peoples. In the 
whole empire, there are not less than eighty tribes, differing in re- 
ligion, language, manners, and usages ; ranging from the lowest 
point of barbarism, to the highest degree of European refinement. 
The great majority, however, even of the Russians proper, are in 
a semi -barbarous, or, which is the same thing, in a semi-civilized 
condition, degraded in character and manners, and held to bond- 
age by their hereditary lords. 

The Russians are divided into three classes — the nobility, citizens, 
and peasantry. The nobles are distinguished as hereditary, and 
personal ; the latter being constituted such for life, and consisting 
of the higher classes of the clergy and citizens, as also the civil 
and military officers not nobles by birth. The nobles and com- 
moners are exempted from the poll-tax, though liable to other 
taxes, and cannot be compelled to enter the army, though many 
of them enter it voluntarily. By citizens are meant all the free 
inhabitants of cities and towns engaged in commerce, manufac- 
tures, and other business, and amounting to near five millions. 
The peasantry comprise freeholders and serfs ; the former num- 
bering about 700,000 only, the latter forming the great bulk of 
the population. Of the serfs, nearly eighteen millions are called 
peasants of the crown, and may be considered personally free, for 
that is the design of the emperor respecting them ; while twenty- 
one millions are absolute bondmen, chiefly on the estates of the 
nobility, though some of them are mechanics and tradesmen, and 
even merchants, who may accumulate property ; but both they and 
their property belong to their boyars, or lords. It is said to be 
the intention of the Emperor Nicholas, if possible, to emancipate 
the whole ; but there are many obstacles in the way, and long 
years must elapse before its accomplishment. They are permitted 
to work two days in the week on their own account, and thus may 
acquire sufficient property to purchase their freedom. Hundreds 
of "them are annually levied as recruits, and the moment they enter 
the army are free both for themselves and their descendants. The 
common people, all of them, are liable to conscription. At the 
bidding of the autocrat, thousands upon thousands can be com- 
pelled to enter the army, and march, at a moment's warning, to 
anj 7 part of the empire, or the world. 

The army is the largest in Europe, numbering at present not 
less than one million of men in the war department. Some of 
these are stationed, of course, at distant points in this vast country, 
but Nicholas can bring into the field, at any time, not less than 
800,000 men ! The garrisons in the interior are provided for by 
the Army of Reserve, or General Reserve, the most of whom are 



EUSSIA. 325 

trained in the military colonies, and number about 400,000. The 
Russian navy is considerable, though not equal to that of England, 
the first maritime power in the world. 

As to the character and habits of the people, the nobles, gener- 
ally, are well educated, particularly those employed about the 
court, or in civil and military service ; yet many of them are said 
to be boorish and ignorant. The Russians have good capacities, 
particularly for the acquisition of languages, in which they excel, 
many of them speaking half a dozen foreign tongues. Their man- 
ners and dress are similar to those of the higher European classes 
generally. In winter, they wear pelisses and boots of fur. It 
may be inferred, from their position and circumstances, that the 
nobles are proud and overbearing, though excessively obsequious 
to the autocrat, whom all obey ; but their very position of slave- 
owners must render them fierce and intolerant to all beneath them. 
They are fond of pomp and show, in many cases rather barbaric 
than graceful. The middle classes emulate the manners of their 
superiors. Many of the clergy are ignorant and dissolute. It has 
been stated, on good authority, that some of them cannot read, 
and that others often perform religious rites under the influence 
of strong drink. But as their persons are sacred, the people see 
little or no incongruity in such cases. 

The peasantry are rude and ignorant, full of superstition, and 
given to low and carnal habits. Their common dress is a hat, or 
cap, with a high crown, a coarse robe reaching to the knee, and 
girded with a sash, in which the wearer carries his purse, and 
sometimes his knife, or hatchet, a woolen cloth wrapped round 
the leg instead of stockings, and on the feet sandals of pliant bark. 
Their rude houses are made of logs, laid the one upon the other, 
having but one room for domestic purposes, and, summer and 
winter, kept intensely warm by means of a red-hot stove. The 
villages look dirty and dismal. The rich live sumptuously, but 
the poorer classes eat and drink what they can procure. Their 
general food is black rye bread, potatoes, salted fish, garlic, mush- 
rooms, and cucumbers. The common drink is quass, a sort of 
vinegar, made by mixing flour and water, and letting it stand till 
it ferments, when the liquor is drawn off for use. Mead is a com- 
mon drink. .Whisky and brandy are eagerly consumed. The 
drinking capacities of the people are immense. The Cossacks 
have good wines and brandy ; and the Calmucks have koumiss, a 
spirit, like weak brandy, distilled from mare's milk. 

The prevalent faith of Russia is that of the Greek Church. 
Jews, Lutherans, Catholics, and others, are permitted, though not 
without disabilities, to practice then- own religious rites. Nicholas 



326 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



is doing all he can to bring these, and all other " heretics," into 
the unity of the faith, and has even descended to use persecution 
for this end. The Greek faith differs from the Roman, in denying 
the supremacy of the Pope, in allowing to the laity the reading of 
the Scriptures, in permitting the marriage of priests at least once, 
and in the practice of trine immersion ; but, in most other respects, 
it resembles the Roman. It will not, indeed, admit of statues in the 
churches as objects of reverence, but it allows pictures of the 
saints and Virgin. It resembles the Catholic Church in having 
the same ideas of ecclesiastical authority, the saving efficacy of the 
Sacraments, and in the use of splendid rites and shows. It has its 
patriarchs and patriarchal synod, instead of pope and cardinals, as 
also archbishops, bishops, and inferior clergy. It has convents 
and monasteries. Preaching and catechising are little regarded, 
while fasts and festivals are sedulously observed. The festivals 
are numerous, and kept with great pomp and rejoicing. Every 
house has a painting of a saint, or of the Virgin, before which the 
inmates offer prayers, and perform many superstitious ceremonies. 
The dead are buried with a paper in the hand, duly signed by the 
bishop and other dignitaries, as a passport to heaven ! 

The government is an absolute monarchy. The emperor is 
" Autocrat of all the Russias." His authority is claimed from 
God, and is universal in Church and State. He is the supreme 
king and the supreme pontiff of the nation. All power, secular 
and sacred, emanates from him. His word is final. Imprison- 
ment — the knout — exile to Siberia — degradation — death — depend 
upon his nod. He appoints dignitaries and officers, and all are 
finally amenable to him. This, however, makes the government 
exceedingly complicated, and the consequence is great corruption 
and wrong. In Russia justice is difficult of attainment. It is 
more uncertain than fortune. A common saying in Russia is : 
" God is high, and the emperor is far away." Torture is ah 
ished, and the common punishment is fine, the knout, and bar 
ment to Siberia. But the knout can torture the quivering f 
and cut the life out of the body, as effectually as the rack o 
guillotine."* One word from the emperor — and, without th< 

* "August 10th, 1*781, I saw two criminals, a man and a woman, suffer 
the punishment of the knout. They were conducted from the prison by 
about fifteen hussars and ten soldiers. When they arrived at the place of 
punishment, the hussars formed themselves into a ring round the whipping- 
post, the drum beat a minute or two, and then some prayers were re- 
peated — the populace taking off their hats. The woman was taken first, 
and, after being roughly stripped to the waist, her hands and feet were 
bound with cords to a post made for the purpose, a man standing before the 



RUSSIA. 327 

lays of courts and witnesses, the victim of despotic vengeance is 
seized instantly, in the dead of night it may be, or at table with 

post to keep the cords tight. A servant attended the executioner, and both 
were stout men. The servant first marked his ground, and struck the wo- 
man five times on the back. Every stroke seemed to penetrate deep into 
the flesh. But his master, thinking him too gentle, pushed him aside, took 
his place, and gave all the remaining strokes himself, which were evidently 
more severe. The woman received twenty-five, and the man sixty. I 
pressed through the hussars, and counted the number as they were chalked 
on a board. Both seemed but just alive, especially the man, who had yet 
strength enough to receive a small donation with some signs of gratitude. 
They were conducted back to prison in a little wagon. I saw the woman 
in a very weak condition some days after, but could not find the man any 
more .'" — Howard's Journal. 

This latter circumstance confirmed Howard's previous suspicion that the 
knout was in reality the Russian gallows, and that, under cover of a mere 
whipping, death was sometimes, if not frequently, inflicted ; while Western 
Europe was abused with idle boasts of the superior clemency of Russian 
laws. It was, however, useless to think of making any inquiries on the 
subject among the courtiers of Catherine, or even among the ministers of 
justice ; so, in order to get further information, he took his own characteris- 
tic course. Having ascertained the address of the executioner, he got into 
a coach and drove off to his house. The poor fellow was alarmed at seeing 
a person having the appearance of a noble and an official enter his humble 
dwelling ; domiciliary visits from the authorities of St. Petersburg rarely 
boding good to the host. Howard had calculated upon the man being 
surprised and thrown off his guard, and now endeavored to increase his 
confusion by his air, tone, and bearing. The fellow probably remembered 
seeing him within the lines on the occasion just described, and, of course, 
supposed him to be a person in authority. Howard expected this. As- 
suming, therefore, an official tone, he desired the man to answer the ques- 
tions put to him simply, and without equivocation ; adding, that if his re- 
plies were found conformable to truth, he had nothing to fear. The execu- 
tioner meekly declared his readiness to answer any questions that should 
be put to him. 

" Can you inflict the knout in such a manner as to occasion death in a 
very short time ?" 

" Yes, I can," was the prompt reply. 

" In how short a time ?" continued Howard. 

" In a day or two." 

" Have you ever so inflicted it ?" 

" I have." 

" Have you lately ?" added our countryman, going to the point he was 
very anxious to be satisfied of. 

" Yes, the last man who was punished by my hands with the knout died 
of the punishment." 

Even so ! no wonder that the philanthropist had not been able to find 
him. 

" In what manner do you thus render it mortal ?" 

" By one or two strokes on the sides, which carry off large pieces of the 
flesh." 

" Do you receive orders thus to inflict the punishment ?" 



THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



his wife and children, or in the place of public concourse, amid 
the festivities of a holiday or a ball, in the very depth of win- 
ter, and hurried off to the inhospitable Siberia, where he is 
compelled to change his name, to hunt in the arctic forests, or 
dig in the dreary mines, with every species of criminal. Nothing 
is heard of him — nothing can be sent to him. He becomes dead 
among the living. 

As the emperor is supreme in the nation, so each proprietor is 
supreme on his own estate. All act the despot. The serfs are 
subject to the cudgel of the owner, and this " symbol of sacred 
authority is seldom at rest." The use of it is universal. It is 
related, that a gentleman who asked his slave why he always per- 
sisted in folding a letter with the title inward, received for an- 
swer : " Please, sir, because you never beat me." 

The knout is the most common punishment. To be " knouted 
without mercy," is to have the flesh cut piecemeal off the bones 
by every stroke of the hard, dried hide. Under this process the 
victim soon becomes exhausted, 'when an instrument, with iron 
teeth like a comb, is struck into the forehead, and the marks 
rubbed with gunpowder, as a perpetual brand of shame. Then 
a pair of pincers, like curling-irons, are fixed upon the nostrils, 
cutting or tearing each way. This quickens the man to con- 
sciousness, in the last stage of exhaustion. The wretched victim 
may then be put into a cart and conveyed to Siberia ! 

Russia is intensely proud and ambitious, and, in the opinion of 
many, means, if possible, directly or indirectly, to subjugate the 
Eastern nations. Her savage hordes, of great physical energy and 
thorough training, make good soldiers. Nicholas, though pos- 
sessing some noble traits, is said to be haunted by a boundless 
appetite for territorial acquisition. He is supposed to have his 
eye steadily fixed upon Turkey, and, the moment he can do so 
with impunity, he will take possession of the Dardanelles, and of 
Constantinople, the natural center and capital of the world. Aus- 
tria is under his foot as servant and slave. Prussia is ready to 
obey his behest. Turkey itself is pledged to assist him in war. 
When the secret treaty became known, by which this point was 
gained, the governments of France and England hastened to send 
their notes protesting against it, and affirming that they would act 
as if the agreement had never been made, Nicholas proudly replied, 
that he would act as if the notes had never been written ! 



"I do." 

This was the substance of the extraordinary catechism ; and thus were 
Howard's doubts resolved. 



EUSSIA. 329 

" Let Russia," says a well-informed writer, " obtain possession 
of the Dardanelles, and she is henceforth not merely invincible, 
but invulnerable. No power can approach her. The Black Sea 
becomes the harbor of her empire, into which no foe can possibly 
penetrate ; its shores become her navy-yard, inaccessible to foreign 
fleet or army. And this vast Northern power will then press its 
resistless way down upon the sunny plains of Southern India, till 
her trading factories supply those vast territories, and till English 
goods, and finally Englishmen, are crowded out of Asia. The 
deep solicitude felt by Great Britain upon the subject may be in- 
ferred from the following extract from the Foreign Quarterly Re- 
view, the organ of the sentiments of the Court of St. James : — 
' The possession of the Dardanelles would give to Russia the means 
of creating and organizing an almost unlimited marine. It would 
enable her to prepare in the Black Sea an armament of any extent, 
without its being possible for any power in Europe to interrupt 
her proceedings, or even to watch or discover her designs. Our 
naval officers of the highest authority have declared that an effect- 
ive blockade of the Dardanelles cannot be maintained throughout 
the year. Even supposing that we could maintain permanently 
in those seas a fleet capable of encountering that of Russia, it is 
obvious that in the event of a war, it would be in the power of 
Russia to throw the whole weight of her disposable forces on any 
point in the Mediterranean, without any probability of our being 
able to prevent it ; and that the power of thus issuing forth with 
an overwhelming force, at any moment, would enable her to com- 
mand the Mediterranean Sea for a limited time whenever it might 
please her so to do. Her whole southern empire would be de- 
fended by a single impregnable fortress. The road to India would 
then be open to her, with all Asia at her back. The finest mate- 
rials in the world, for an army destined to serve in the East, would 
be at her disposal. Our power to overawe her in Europe would 
be gone, and by even a demonstration against India, she could 
augment our national expenditure by many millions annually, and 
render the government of that country difficult beyond all cal- 
culation.' " 

But Russia is surrounded by powerful governments, who jeal- 
ously watch her progress. The resources of England and France 
combined would present an insuperable obstacle to her seizure of 
the Turkish Empire. Even Austria, in such a case, might revolt, 
and Prussia lend her power in opposition to her dreaded ally. 
Sweden would instantly attempt to recover her lost possessions 
annexed to the Russian government, and might bring to the assist- 
ance of the allied powers a hundred thousand of the best-disci- 



330 THE WORLD WE LIVE IX. 



plined troops in the -world. Poland, and other forced dependen- 
cies of Russia, would revolt. The impatient Cossacks, the Moldo- 
Wallachians, the Finns, and the inhabitants of the Baltic provinces, 
whether German barons or Lettonian boors, would fly to arms to 
recover their ancient rights and humble their oppressor. Austria, 
if united with Russia, would be dismembered, while the Hunga- 
rians, Bohemians, and Moravians would rush to the battle-ground 
of nations. Moreover, the power of the Czars, however augmented, 
is but the power of brute force, and of the terrors it inspires. A 
single reverse would react upon Russia itself, and, by the force of 
insurrection and revolution, shake it to its inmost center.* 



* As a proof of this, conspiracies are not infrequent. The following, trans- 
lated for the New York Tribune, appeared a few years ago : 

" It appears that the plan of the conspiracy was formed by a very young 
man, Nicholas Kaschkine, who has the title of honorary councilor on the list 
of condemned. Betrayed by one of the numerous informers that are kept 
in large numbers by the Russian police, whenever it suspects any hostile 
intentions, Kaschkine was arrested, then taken to the cabinet of the Czar, 
who received him with an unexpected kindness and affability. 

" ' You are young, M. Kaschkine, and you have another excuse still bet- 
ter,' said the magnanimous emperor. ' Under color of politics, you have 
wished, as I conjecture, to satisfy the desire of vengeance, excited by what 
you consider the unjust condemnation of your father. The power which 
retains him in Siberia cannot be legitimate in the eye of a good son, and I 
comprehend the imprudent anger which has placed you in my hands. But 
I shall not abuse the terrible power which I have over you, and if your re- 
pentance shall suggest to you confessions which may justify an absolute 
pardon — if you will disclose the details of the conspiracy, the names of your 
accomplices, every thing may be forgotten — your future prospects shall 
not be compromised, your liberty shall be restored to you, and so forth.' 

" ' Sir,' interrupted M. Kaschkine, ' do not go any further, and, above alL 
correct your mistake. No desire of vengeance has inspired me with the 
thought of bringing your dominion to an end. In our family, the condem- 
nation of my father is regarded as a title of honor. For myself, I do not 
feel that I can add any thing to the glory with which it has crowned our 
name, unless I should be able to do something for the annihilation of your 
race and of your degrading authority.' 

" There were witnesses to the conversation, who cried out in real or af- 
fected horror. The emperor alone preserved his sang-froid. ' This young 
man is mad,' he said. ' It is not a prison, but a hospital that he requires.' 

" It is, in fact, a mad-house to which Kaschkine has been sent. But of 
these madmen, thank God, the race is not lost in Russia. It has long been 
perpetuated, and we even find it as far back as 1825, at the date of the 
conspiracy to which Mouranieff has given his name. 

" It is known that, in defiance of the imperial statutes which had abol- 
ished the punishment of death, it was pronounced against several of the 
conspirators, and, by a refinement of cruelty, an infamous punishment was 
chosen for them, and one contrary to the national usages. Those who were 
put to death were hung. 



EUSSIA. 331 

After all, Russia has reason enough to keep the peace ; and 
we rejoice to know that many persons, well informed in European 
affairs, believe that Nicholas, instead of conquest, regards it as 
higher glory to elevate the character of his people. For this pur- 
pose he has endeavored to improve the administration of justice, 
and to promote learning and education. The literature of Russia, 
though wanting in originality and power, is making commendable 
progress. Education also, though far behind that of other Euro- 
pean States, is advancing. Considerable exertions are made by 
the government to introduce schools, and instruct the lower classes. 
Several thousand schools have been established among the peas- 
antry of the crown. Many scientific schools have been instituted. 
The colleges and universities rival similar institutions in other 
parts of Europe. Every governmental or provincial capital con- 
tains a gymnasium ; in those of Irkutsk and Kiachta the Japanese 
and Chinese languages are taught. 

Upon the whole, it must be allowed that the Russians are ad- 
vancing slowly in knowledge, civilization, and refinement. May 
they have wisdom to take care of themselves, and let their neigh- 
bors alone ! 

" Two of them, one a German, the other a Russian — the one a philosopher 
and skeptic, the other a believer, and tinctured with the mysticism of which 
the Emperor Alexander gave some specimens, more or less in earnest — ar- 
riving together at the place of punishment, were hoisted together at the 
fatal post. The executioner, who was new to his task, had made bad prep- 
arations. The two ropes broke almost at the same moment. 

" ' D — d country !' cried out the German, Pestil, ' they don't even know 
how to hang !' ' Thank God !' gravely responded the mystic Rylieg, ' I 
shall die twice for our holy cause.' " 



3.32 



THE WOULD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND DENMARK 




Royal Palace at Stockholm. 

"We comprise these countries under one head, because they oc- 
cupy the ancient Scandinavia, and because their inhabitants are 
derived from the same stock, and have many traits in common. 
On this account they all claim an interest in the celebrated men 
of each, in Thorswalden, in Berzelius, and in Oehlenschlager ; 
and while they have their little jealousies, their " bickerings and 
battlings," feel that they belong to the same family, and have 
much the same interests and aims. When they meet in foreign 
lands, they clasp each other's hands, and, with kindling glance, 
exclaim — " We are Scandinavians ! We are brothers !" A pleas- 
ing little instance of this is related by Hans Christian Andersen, 
in his "Poet's Bazaar." When he was at Rome, in 1833, all the 
Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes in that city united, as one family, 



SWEDEN", NORWAY, AND DENMARK. 



333 



to keep their Christmas-eve. " "We were," says he, " about fifty- 
Scandinavians, including seven ladies, who wore wreaths of living 
roses around their brows : we men had wreaths of ivy. The three 

nations had subscribed for presents The best prize was a 

silver cup, with the inscription, 'Christmas-eve in Rome, 1833.' 
And who won it ? I was the lucky one." 




Jenny Lind. 

Sweden and Norway, united under the same government, which 
is a limited monarchy, somewhat like that of England, have a 
population of nearly five millions. The country is chiefly agricul- 
tural, with extensive forests, and some valuable mines of copper, 
iron, and silver. From Norway and the neighboring countries, 
came the Northmen, or Normans, who conquered a portion of 
France, and swayed, for many years, the scepter over England. 
They are a brave, honest, enterprising race. The same may be 
said of the Swedes. They are of middle size, with light hair and 
ruddy complexions. The women have a pleasing appearance, 
generally with light auburn hair and blue eyes. The celebrated 
songstress, Jenny Lind, is a fair specimen of her countiywomen. 



334 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



The Swedish ladies are qiiiet and pleasant in their manners ; 
when excited, quite animated and cheerful. The State is com- 
posed of four orders, nobles, clergy, peasants, and burghers, or 
citizens of towns, all of whom are represented in the national legis- 
lative assemblies. 

The higher classes dress much in the style of the English; 
though the Swedes have a national costume, ordained by law 
some sixty years ago : the ladies, however, as in other countries, 
do pretty much as they please with reference to dress. The coats 
of the men are close, fastened round the waist with a sash ; the 
cloak is black, but lined with gay colors. No gentleman is con- 
sidered in full dress without a sword, and a feather in his hat. 

Their language is a Germano- Gothic dialect, strong and expres- 
sive ; to a foreigner rough and guttural, but, to a native, eupho- 
nious enough. The Swedish tongue is considered, by those ac- 
quainted with it, quite smooth and poetical. Their literature is 
rich in songs and lyrics, as also in the department of the drama. 
The houses of the common people, for the most part, are mere 
log huts, but more neat and comfortable than those in Russia. 
The beds are placed, like berths, the one above the other. Their 
bread is baked twice a year, and is hung around the room, in small 
loaves on strings, like apples in New England. The people are 
generally fond of tobacco, and of brandy when they can get it. 
The peasantry are not as virtuous as one might expect. Their 
statistics show that crimes are frequent among them, particularly 
those connected with licentiousness. Still, many of them cherish 
much manly simplicity, kindness, and generosity of character. 
Education is universally diffused. The people are fond of reading, 
and especially of music, for which they possess a natural talent. 
They are universally distinguished for their hospitality. Patriotic 
and free, they love their native land, and will endure any thing 
for its welfare. The mountains"of Dalecarlia have ever been the 
abode of freedom and virtue. 

The literature of Sweden is not without high merit. Linnaeus 
and Berzelius in science, Stagnelius and Tegner in poetry, are an 
honor to their country. The latter stands first among the modern 
poets of Sweden, " a man of a grand and gorgeous imagination, 
and poetic genius of a high order." He is the author of " The 
Children of the Lord's Supper," so finely translated by Longfel- 
low, who says : " The modern Skald has written his name in 
immortal runes ; not on the bark of trees alone, in the ' unspeak- 
able rural solitudes' of pastoral song, but on the mountains of his 
native land and the cliffs that overhang the sea, and on the tombs 
of ancient heroes whose histories are epic poems." Almost all 



SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND DENMARK. 335 



works of merit in foreign European tongues are translated into 
Swedish, though a majority of these are scientific works. The 
universities of Upsala and Lund, especially the former, are highly 
distinguished for 'learning. 

The finances of Sweden are in a good condition. The country, 
indeed, is not rich, neither is it poor. The people are contented 
with little, and probably prefer that little at home to abundance 
in foreign lands. They are fond of rural sports and out-door rec- 
reations generally. The Sabbath, after church, is a holiday, and 
dancing, singing, and all sorts of merry-making, are not considered 
inconsistent with the character of the day. This, however, as in 
France and Germany, is one cause of the low condition, not only 
of religion, but of the morals of the Swedish people. The first 
days of May and of Midsummer are celebrated as festivals. The 
young men and women dance around a festooned pole from morn- 
ing till evening. All ranks dance with great agility and delight. 
Cards are said to be a general amusement, though the Swedes are 
not charged with being addicted to gambling as such. To illus- 
trate the national fondness for cards, it is said that a nobleman, 
when his dinner hour had arrived without his dinner, went into 
the kitchen to learn the reason of the delay, when he found all the 
domestics engaged in a game of cards. He pleasantly admitted 
the characteristic excuse, that the game had arrived at its critical 
point, and could not therefore be put off, even for dinner. He 
himself took the cook's hand and played it, while that domestic 
performed his duty ! 

The religion of Sweden is Lutheran, but somewhat cold and 
formal, having much degenerated from the days of its early vigor 
and enthusiasm. Religious intolerance has more than once dis- 
played itself, even recently, and it would seem that Sweden is 
quite behind the age with reference to the vital question of reli- 
gious freedom. Still it would be wrong to infer from this that 
there is no simplicity and depth in the religion of this interesting 
country. Doubtless it is still the source of all that is highest and 
best in their character and institutions. 

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, stands upon seven small 
rocky islands, beside two peninsulas, and is an attractive city, 
though, like much of St. Petersburg and Amsterdam, it is built 
upon piles. It has many picturesque views, formed by number- 
less granitic rocks rising boldly from the surface of the water, 
partly bare and craggy, partly dotted with houses, or adorned 
with gardens and trees. On the central island are some striking 
buildings, and, among others, the royal palace, near which is a 
fine bronze statue of the Swedish monarch Gustavus the Third, 



336 THE WOELD WE LIVE IIST. 



on a pedestal of polished porphyritic rock. The city has some- 
thing less than 100,000 inhabitants, and is noted for its magnifi- 
cent buildings, its numberless literary and scientific institutions, 
its free schools, its extensive commerce, and its deep, capacious 
harbor, in which a thousand sail might lie safely. 

The Norwegians resemble the Swedes, in most particulars. 
They are a hardy, robust, simple-hearted, courageous race. 
Skating, as in all the Scandinavian countries, is a universal 
amusement, and even means of travel. Many of their school- 
masters are itinerant, staying in one place two or three weeks at 
a time. They have some peculiar customs : a violin, for example, 
is played at the head of the coffin in funerals, and questions of 
various kinds are put to the corpse, the best of which is that of 
asking pardon for offenses or injuries against the deceased during 
life. The country is governed by a viceroy, and, with reference 
to finances, legislation, and the administration of justice, is really 
independent. The press is free, and a spirit of republicanism 
prevails among the people. 

Denmark is a lively little country, with a population of less 
than two millions, but intelligent in a high degree, active and 
enterprising, full of life, energy, and enthusiasm. The capital, 
Copenhagen, is one of the finest in Europe, strongly fortified, with 
a numerous population, and many literary, scientific, and benevo- 
lent institutions. The royal castle and palace of Christiansborg 
is a magnificent edifice, with a rich gallery of paintings, and a 
library of 400,000 volumes. It has a highly distinguished univer- 
sity, and is the seat of an active and extensive commerce. The 
Church of Our Lady is adorned with some fine pieces of statuary, 
by Thorswalden, the pride and glory of Denmark in the depart- 
ment of the arts. The round tower of Trinity is used as an ob- 
servatory, and can be ascended by a winding path, in carriages. 
" There is no lack," says an English traveler, " of in-door gayety 
in Copenhagen ; but the general aspect of the city, to a foreigner 
accustomed to the stunning bustle of English towns, is decidedly 
dull. Partly, this arises from the very little show the shops make, 
the comparatively small business traffic in the streets, and also 
from the leisurely habits of the people themselves. The fact is, 
the Danes have not yet learned to live in a hurry ; but although 
they are ' slow,' they are steady and sure ; although they are a 
century behind England in many of the leading improvements of 
the age, they are more than a century ahead of England in gen- 
erally diffused plenty and comfort ; and although they do not 
gallop through life as though for a wager, they know how to en- 
joy it rationally." Among the peculiarities of Stockholm is that 



337 

of the watchmen, who, muffled in great-coats and fur caps, go 
the rounds, chanting a pious or prudential verse at the close of 
each hour, with cadence deep and guttural, a peculiar but not un- 
pleasing tone. The following are specimens : 

EIGHT O'CLOCK. 

" When darkness blinds the earth 
And the day declines, 
That time then us reminds 

Of death's dark grave ; 
Shine on us, Jesus sweet, 
At every step 
To the grave-place, 
And grant a blissful death ! 

nine o'clock. 

Now the night strides down, 

And the night rolls forth — 
Forgive, for Jesu's wounds, 
Our sins, O mildest God ! 
Preserve the royal houses, 
And all men 
In this land 
From violence of foes. 

ten o'clock. 

If you the time will know, 

Husband,* girl, and boy, 
Then it's about the time 

That one prepares for bed. 
Commend yourselves to God ; 

Be prudent and cautious, 

Take care of lights and fire ; 
Our clock it has struck ten. 

eleven o'clock. 

God our Father us preserve, 
The great with the small ; 
His holy angel host 

A fence around us place ! 
He himself the town will watch : 
Our house and home 
God has in care, 
Our entire life and soul 

TWELVE O'CLOCK. 

'Twas at the midnight hour 
Our Saviour he was born, 



* Wife is understood. 
15 



338 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



The wide world to console, 

"Which else would ruined be. 
Our clock it has struck twelve : 
With tongue and mouth, 
Prom the heart's depths, 
Commend yourselves to God's care. 

one o'clock. 

Help us, Jesus dear ! 

Our cross here in this world 
Patiently to bear — 

There is no Savior more.* 
Our clock it has struck one : 

Extend to us thy hand, 

consoling One ! 
Then the burden becomes light." 

And so on, in a similar style of touching solemnity and pathos, 
through the silent night. The following is the last, at 5 o'clock, 
A.M.: 

" Jesu, Morning Star ! 
Our King unto thy care 
We so willingly commend — 

Be thou his Sun and Shield ! 
Our clock it has struck five : 
Come, thou mild Sun, 
Prom mercy's pale, 
Light up our house and home !" 

The appearance and manners, as well as opinions, religious and 
political, of the Danes are similar to those of their Swedish neigh- 
bors. Their country is level and agricultural, though they follow 
successfully trade and manufactures. In general, the Danes are 
an enlightened people. Their simplicity, single-heartedness, and 
enthusiasm are seen in all their productions. Hans Christian An- 
dersen, in sketching and story-telling, Frederika Bremer, in the 
domestic novel, and Oehlenschlager, their first and favorite poet, in 
the drama, are known throughout the literary world. The latter 
has been styled, with what propriety we are not competent to 
judge, " the Shakspeare of the North." He died but a short 
time since, and received at his funeral the highest honors his 
country could confer. The king, the nobles, the professors and 
students of the university, and the people generally, followed his 
remains to the grave, and wept over his tomb. A song, prepared 
by Hans Christian Andersen, was sung when the throng passed 

* No other Savior. 



SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND DENMARK. 339 



the birth-place of the poet. Minute-guns were fired ; a large 
military band played the dead march. The coffin was borne on 
the shoulders of the royal sailors, preceded by emblematic ban- 
ners, and followed by a dense mass of gentlemen of all ranks, six 
deep. The coffin was borne Avithout pall or any other covering, 
and on its lid were the silver wreaths, lyre, and harp ; but so 
many evergreen wreaths and "everlasting" flowers had been de- 
posited by loving hands, that it seemed one mass of foliage. An 
oration was pronounced at the grave by pastor Grundtvig, a gifted 
and eloquent preacher, and the body lowered into the tomb amid 
the stifled sobs and tears of the multitude : a burial worthy of a 
pure and gifted poet. 

Of Lapland and the Laplanders we have scarcely room to speak. 
Primitive and simple, and living upon the plainest fare, they de- 
pend almost exclusively, both for food and dress, as well as many 
other conveniences, upon their reindeer, which go wherever they 
go, and in winter convey them rapidly, in their sledges, over the 
frozen ground. The most interesting fact in reference to them is, 
that, through the efforts of the self-denying Moravian missiona- 
ries, they have almost all been converted to Christianity, and are 
generally attached to its duties and observances. Great crimes 
are unknown among them. Simple-hearted and harmless, they 
find it a comfort and a joy to obey the divine precepts in their 
most literal import. Their country is mostly cold and barren. 
In Swedish Lapland, however, there are some valuable mines. 
Portions of the scenery are wild and sublime, especially when 
lighted by the bright Arctic moon, or the brilliant coruscations of 
the aurora borealis. The Laplanders are short of stature, being 
generally under five feet high, homely, but good-natured. They 
move, with their herds of reindeer, from place to place, seldom 
residing in towns. In the brief summer they occupy tents ; in 
winter rude huts, formed of stones and earth, and covered with 
turf. They have a few churches and schools, and, upon the 
whole, are making progress in knowledge and Christian civ- 
ilization. 

For an account of Iceland and the Icelanders, who properly 
belong to Europe, see page 120. 



340 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IK. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



SWITZERLAND. 




Leaving Denmark, we pass once more into Germany, and as- 
cend the " exulting and abounding Rhine," as Byron appropri- 
ately styles it, and rest not till Ave find ourselves in the old town 
of Basle, capital of the canton Basle, in Switzerland, famous as 
the burial-place of the learned Erasmus, and of ^Ecolampadius, 
Protestant pastor or bishop of the place in the days of the Refor- 
mation, more recently distinguished as the residence of De Wette, 
one of the most learned of the German critical divines, and for a 
number of years of the gifted and eloquent Vinet. But we cannot 
stop here;' so, taking the diligence, we pass through the soft 
meadows and verdant acclivities of the canton Basle, where we 



SWITZERLAND. 341 



begin, on hill -side and in valley, to see the peculiar houses of the 
Swiss peasantry. The country has an appearance of agricultural 
thrift and abundance. On all the green and wooded hills cattle 
are browsing, while the high-roofed cottages nestle pleasantly 
among the trees. Finally, crossing the Jura Mountains, we de- 
scend into the beautiful valley of Lake Leman and the Rhone, 
protected on all sides by lofty Alpine summits, and adorned with 
towns and villages, and the most charming wood and water sce- 
nery. We visit Geneva, which lies charmingly on either bank of 
the Rhone, whose deep clear waters, reflecting heaven's azure, cut 
the city into two unequal parts at their outlet from the lake, 
which spreads, just beyond the city walls, into one of the grand- 
est and most beautiful expanses in the world, in sight of the Ber- 
nese Alps, the Jura Mountains, Mount Saleve, with its verdant 
slopes, and in the distance Mont Blanc lifting its calm, clear, 
snow-clad summit into the radiant heavens ; the city of John 
Calvin, of John J. Rousseau, of Madame de Stael, of Voltaire 
also, for he lived in the immediate neighborhood ; the present res- 
idence, too, of Merle D'Aubigne, and the scene of many startling 
changes and revolutions.* Leaving Geneva, we take a steamer, 
plying constantly on the lake, for Lausanne, capital of the canton 
Vaud, the city of Beza and Vinet, and long the residence of Gib- 

* The following, from Bulwer, is worth reading : 

" It was a warm, clear, and sunny day on which I commenced the voyage 
of the lake. Looking behind, I gazed on the roofs and spires of Geneva, 
and forgot the present in the past. What to me was its little community 
of watchmakers, and its little colony of English ? I saw Charles of Savoy 
at its gates; I heard the voice of Berthelier invoking liberty, and summon- 
ing to arms. The struggle past — the scaffold rose — and the patriot became 
the martyr ! His blood was not spilt in vain. Religion became the resur- 
rection of freedom. The town is silent ; it is under excommunication. 
Suddenly a murmur is heard ; it rises — it gathers ; the people are awake 
— they sweep the streets — the images are broken ! Farel is preaching to 
the council ! Yet a little while, and the stern soul of Calvin is at work 
within those walls. The loftiest of the reformers, and the one whose influ- 
ence has been the world-wide and lasting, is the earliest also of the great 
tribe of the perseputed the City of the Lake receives within her arms. The 
benefits he repaid — behold them around ! Wherever property is secure, 
wherever thought is free, wherever the ancient spirit has been caught, you 
trace the work of the Reformation, and the inflexible, inquisitive, uncon- 
querable soul of Calvin ! He foresaw not, it is true, nor designed the 
effects he has produced. The same sternness of purpose, the same rigidity 
of conscience that led him to reform, urged him to persecute. The exile 
of Balsec and the martyrdom of Servetus rest darkly upon his name. 
But the blessings we owe to the first inquirers compensate their errors. 
Had Calvin not lived, there would not have been one, but a thousand 
Servetuses !" 



342 THE WORLD WE LIVE IX. 



bon, magnificently situated on the left bank of the lake, amid 
embowerino- trees and clustering vines. "We come in sio-ht of 
numberless charming localities, and an infinite variety of wood, 
water, and mountain landscape, reminding us of the days of old, 
with the ever- varying beauty and freshness of nature. Byron lived 
a long time on the banks of this delightful lake, and has cele- 
brated its serenity and beauty in some of his finest lines. 

" Clear, placid Leman ! thy contrasted lake, 
With the wild world I dwelt in, is a thing 
Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake 
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring ! 
This quiet sail is as a noiseless wing 

To waft me from destruction. Once I loved 
Torn ocean's roar ; but thy soft murmuring 
Sounds sweet, as if a sister's voice reproved, 
That I with stern delights should e'er have been so moved." 

All around the lake are spots of classic or romantic interest — 
Vevay, Villeneuve, Meillerie, the Castle of Chillon ; afar off the 
gleaming of glacier peaks, and, bending over it, a deep blue sky, 
whose serene hights are mirrored in the bosom of the limpid 
waters. 

Leaving Lausanne, with its gray towers, green foliage, and 
charming society, we pass toward the upper end of the lake, near 
Villeneuve, where the Rhone, which takes its rise amid Alpine 
solitudes far away, enters the lake, forming some of the most en- 
chanting scenery in the world ; we take the road which runs many 
miles along the banks of the river, and, before many hours, find 
ourselves entering the very heart of the Swiss mountains, and 
wandering at will amid snowy peaks, piercing the heavens, vast 
ice-fields thrown up into sea-like ridges, as if ten thousand mount- 
ain waves had been instantly congealed, where nothing is heard 
but the thundering; of the o-laciers, crashing: downwards with hol- 
low reverberations ; or passing thence over immense masses of 
splintered rocks, far down into peaceful valleys, amid fresh verdure 
and flowers ; or sauntering by the brink of dark blue lakes, among 
the hills, mirroring, in their still bosoms, the rock-ribbed mount- 
ains ; watching, with dilated spirit, some roaring cataract leaping 
from the precipice into the boiling abyss, or some rare cascade, 
with its iris hues, radiant as Eden, pouring in scattered glories 
from its rocky bed, and bounding like a thing of life amid the 
umbrage of the dark green woods ; or standing by the spot con- 
secrated in song and story, where William Tell pierced the apple 
on his boy's head, or where he shot his arrow deep into the heart 
of the tyrant Gessler ; or where Arnold of Winkelried grasped 



SWITZEELAISTD. 343 



into his bosom " a sheaf of spears," making way, by his fallen body, 
for his countrymen to freedom and victory ; or listening, at even- 
ing's close, to the bells of St. Bernard, or the rush of ten thou- 
sand streams, uttering their hymn of praise amid the silence of 
the hills ; or gazing, in the starry night, far up amid pinnacles 
of ice, glowing with the light of heaven ; or worshiping, at sun- 
rise, amid the kindling glories of the Jungfrau or the Shrechkhorn, 
bathed in the rosy light of ascending day ; or standing, in the 
stillness of a summer's afternoon, listen to the echo of the shep- 
herd's horn, far resounding' through the hills and vales ; or mingle 
with the storm, which shrieks through the mountain passes, 
whirls among the rocks, and makes fierce music amid the pinnacles 
of eternal ice ; or, it may be, gazing with rapt wonder at closing 
day, when the atmosphere is hazy, on the burning beauty which 
bathes the entire summits and sides of the mountains, " far kenned 
at morn and even," like the glorious light 

" Of flowers, that with one scarlet gleam 
Cover a hundred leagues, and seem 
To set the hills on fire." 

We linger especially by the " tower and chapel" of William Tell — 
by Morgarten and Sempach, the scenes where Swiss liberty was 
born and nurtured, in tears, agony, and blood — where the men of 
Uri, Unterwald, and Schwytz, the latter leading the way, did 
battle for their native land, and won for it freedom and eternal 
renown. 

"Thither in time of adverse shocks, 

Of fainting hopes and backward wills, 

Did mighty Tell repair of old — 

A hero cast in Nature's mould, 

Deliverer of the steadfast rocks, 

And of the ancient hills. 

He too, of battle martyrs chief! 
Who, to recall his daunted peers, 
For victory shaped an open space, 
By gathering, with a wide embrace, 
Into his single heart, a sheaf 
Of fatal Austrian spears." 

The battle of Morgarten took place in 1315, at which William 
Tell and Walter Furst are supposed to have been present, that of 
Sempach in 1386, when Arnold of Winkelried, with a wonderful 
self-sacrifice, which has no parallel in modern history, gave him- 
self for his country. " It was the season of harvest, when the 
sun darted his beams with great ardor. After a short prostration 
in prayer the Swiss arose ; their numbers were four hundred men 



344 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



from Luzerne, nine hundred from Walstetten, and about a hun- 
dred from Glaris and other places. Uniting now their forces, 
they precipitated themselves with great impetuosity upon the im- 
pregnable Austrian phalanx ; but not a man yielded to the shock. 
The Swiss fell one after another ; numbers lay bleeding on the 
ground ; their whole force began to waver, when suddenly a voice 
like thunder exclaimed : ' I will open a passage to freedom ; faith- 
ful and beloved confederates, protect only my wife and children !' 
These words of Arnold Struthan of Winkelried, a knight of Un- 
terwalden, were no sooner uttered, than he seized with both arms 
as many of the enemies' spears as he was able, buried them in his 
body and sank to the ground, while the confederates rushed through 
the breach over his corpse."* 

" On, on they rushed, with their triumph flushed, 

Nor "wavered, nor turned them back ; 
But hand to hand with the men-at-arms 

They were dealing blow for blow, 
And knights and nobles were stricken down 
By the heavy club of the Alpine clown — 

The despised and insulted foe. 

On the ruthless foes of their name and race 

Dire vengeance they took that day ; 
For insult and wrong, endured for long, 

And which blood could not wipe away ; 
For ravaged fields, and for houseless nights, 

In the depths of the winter's cold ; 
For plundered home, and for murder'd child — 
The savage feats of a warfare wild — 

And for deeds that may not be told. 

And far and wide from the Sempach's side, 

The marvelous rumor flew, 
That the Austrian host had been routed and turned, 

And scattered the country through. 
To the anxious watchers in sad Luzerne, 

At sunset the tidings came ; 
And the streets were astir with the old and young ; 
And the gates were opened, and the bells were rung ; 
And with grateful hosannas, both loud and long, 
They remembered the God in their even song 
Who raises the weak and confounds the strong — 

Praise, praise to his holy name ! 

And to tranquil Stantz, as the deep'ning shade 

Drew the stars forth one by one, 
The news was brought of the victory bought 

* Zschokke. 



SWITZERLAND. 345 



With the life of her bravest son. 
There was weeping that night in the peaceful home 

Of Arnold of Winkelried : 
But the hour of mourning e'en there was brief 

When she heard of his glorious deed. 
The color rushed to her pallid face, 
And it brightened and beamed with unwonted grace, 
As she kissed her boys, with a mother's pride, 
And told them with tears how their father died." 

Switzerland consists of twenty-two cantons, forming a confedera- 
tion like that of the United States, for mutual aid and support, 
and for purposes of general government and legislation, but each 
canton is independent within its own jurisdiction. Part are Cath- 
olic, and part are Protestant. The latter are the wealthiest and 
most powerful. Most of the people speak German, with a patois, 
about a third, perhaps, French, and a few, in the neighborhood of 
Italy, Italian. They are brave, ingenious, and enterprising. Their 
soldiers, however, can be bought for any government, and Swiss 
regiments may be found in Rome, Naples, and elsewhere. The 
whole country is carefully cultivated, and portions of it, especially 
in the valleys, are very fertile. The manufacture of watches, 
jewelry, music instruments, &c, is carried on to a great extent. 
Trade is universally free. The literature of Switzerland, particu- 
larly of the cantons Vaud, Geneva, Basle, and Berne, is highly 
respectable. It partakes, however, more or less of French and 
German influences. Indeed, it greatly blends with these, and is 
often confounded with them. But Beza, Rousseau, De Maistre, 
Neckar, Madame De Stael, Vinet, Constant, Bonnet, D'Aubigne, 
all belong to Switzerland. Saussure, Sismondi, and Agassiz are 
from the neighborhood of Geneva. 

The government, in most instances, is democratic and popular, 
but occasionally, in its practical working, aristocratic and conserva- 
tive. The democratic element, however, is dominant. It has 
even, as in Geneva and in the canton Vaud, proceeded to ex- 
tremities. Radicalism in these States, mingled with infidelity and 
socialism, has persecuted the ministers of Christ, and broken up 
Churches, whose only fault is their adherence to what they deem 
truth and duty. Switzerland, alas ! is sadly injured by the blight 
of atheism. French materialism and German pantheism have 
rushed into it from every side. 

The Swiss are a simple-hearted, generous, and, upon the whole, 
religious race. They love their mountain homes, and are ever 
prepared to defend them with their lives. They are fond of 
music, and can be affected to tears, especially in foreign lands, by 
some of their native airs, particularly the Bans des Vaches. " This 

15* 



346 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



Rans des Vaches," says Jean Paul Richter, " at once awakened his 
blooming- childhood, and she arose out of the morning dew, and 
out of her bower of rosebuds and slumbering flowers, and stepped 
before him in heavenly beauty, and smiled innocently and with 
her thousand hopes upon him, and said, ' Look at me, how beau- 
tiful I am ! we used to play together. I formerly gave thee many 
things — great riches, gay meadows, and bright gold, and a fair, 
long paradise behind the mountains ; but now thou hast nothing 
of all this left — and how paie thou art ! play with me again !' 
Before which of us has not childhood been a thousand times called 
up by music ? And to which of vis has she not spoken and asked 
— 'Are the roses which I gave thee not yet blown ? ' Alas ! 
blown indeed they are — but, they were pale white roses." 

. The Swiss are sociable and affectionate, and love rural gather- 
ings and amusements. But hunting, after all, is the national pas- 
time among the mountains. They pursue the chamois far up 
among the rocks. This hardens the frame, and matures the char- 
acter for higher deeds. They are full of energy and patriotism. 
After wandering into other countries, as musicians, peddlers, or 
soldiers, they do not forget their mountain homes, and generally 
return to them, if within their power. 

The character of the Swiss, however, is much modified by for- 
eign influences. Republican and free, their country is the home 
of refugees and political aliens from all the countries around them. 
Almost interlocked, both by locality and language, with Germany 
on the one side, Italy, and especially France, on the other, they 
naturally adopt German, Italian, and French manners and usages. 
Geneva, the cantons Basle and Vaud, Neufchatel, and even Zu- 
rich, are much modified in this way. It is chiefly in the more 
rural and mountain districts that the true simplicity and energy 
of the Swiss character displays itself. Then again, part of them 
are Protestants and part Catholics, which frequently occasions 
difficulty and strife, and exerts great influence upon character and 
habits. The Jesuits, though banished, manage the Catholic can- 
tons, and, as their custom is, keep the people ignorant and super- 
stitious. On the other hand, the Protestant cantons, though 
prosperous, are open to endless speculations, and much fatal 
skepticism. Still it is in these that industry, knowledge, refine- 
ment, and enterprise are found to flourish. No better or pleas- 
anter cities can any where be found in Europe than Geneva, 
Lausanne, Zurich, Luzerne, and Berne. 

"We are on the Simplon road, that wonderful work of Napoleon, 
who conquered the Alps, as he conquered the nations. How 
wonderfully it winds along the mountain precipices, away down, 



SWITZERLAND. 347 



and then far up among the rocks, now gliding over a sunny slope, 
or along the edge of a snow- crowned summit, then plunging amid 
dark ravines and forest-trees, till finally, Italy, la belle Italie, ra- 
diant with sunlight, bursts upon the view. Adieu, then, to Swit- 
zerland, with her lakes and mountains, and a welcome to Italy, 
the home of beauty and of song. 



34S 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER XXVI, 

T T 4 T "V '■ 





Mount Etna. 

The principal feature of the Italian landscape is beauty. Lying 
between the blue waves of the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, 
backed by the " sovereign Alps," with their dark forests and 
glacier peaks, traversed through her whole length by the lofty 
but beautiful Apennines, with here and there the bare and black- 
ened summit of an extinct volcano, and crowned, at the bay of 
Naples, with the smoking cone of Mount Vesuvius, Italy has feat- 



* The account of Italy is condensed from the Author's " Genius of Italy." 



ITALY. 349 

ures of grandeur and majesty ; but her predominant aspect is that 
of serene beauty. With a sky of the softest blue, an atmosphere 
the clearest and blandest in the world, a fertile soil, and a rich 
garniture of verdure and trees ; gladdened moreover by limpid 
streams brawling among the hills, or sleeping, in pellucid pools 
and crystal lakes, in the depths of valleys ; covered with vines 
and olive-trees, myrtles and aloes, among which the white villa, 
the trellised cottage, the old church, and the hoary ruin of by-gone 
days are gleaming ; with here and there some ancient palace, or 
old tower crowning the summits, or, it may be, some splendid city 
lying on the waters, like Naples and Venice, or standing on the 
plain amid surrounding hills, like Florence and Rome, or seen 
from afar upon a mountain ledge, like Genoa, Gaeta and Amalfi — 
the whole land presents an aspect of rich and ever- varying beauty. 
This feature of Italian scenery is often referred to by her poets, 
with a sort of passionate admiration. It is also frequently speci- 
fied as the great temptation of her invaders, and one of the causes 
of her degradation and suffering. Thus Pietro Bembo, in one of 
his sonnets, exclaims : 

" Fair land, once loved of Heaven o'er all beside, 
Which blue waves gird, and lofty mountains screen, 
Thou clime of fertile fields and sky serene, 
Whose gay expanse the Apennines divide ! 
What boots it now that Rome's old warlike pride 
Left thee of humbled earth and sea the queen ? 
Nations that served thee then now fierce convene 
To tear thy locks and strew them o'er the tide." 

Byron, too, catching the spirit, and indeed using the language 
of the Italian poets, breaks out in those beautiful and burning 
lines : 

" Italia ! Oh, Italia, thou who hast 
The fatal gift of beauty which became 
A funeral dower of present woes and past, 
On thy sweet brow is sorrow ploughed by shame, 
And annals graved in characters of flame. 
Oh God ! that thou wert in thy nakedness 
Less lovely or more powerful, and couldst claim 
Thy right, and awe the robbers back, who press 
To shed thy blood and drink the tears of thy distress !" 

This, however, is but a free and happy translation oi one of 
Filicaja's odes, commencing thus : 

" Italia, oh, Italia ! hapless thou 
Who didst the fatal gift of beauty gain, 
A dowry fraught with never-ending pain, 
A seal of sorrow stamped upon thy brow." 



350 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



Alessandro Manzoni, one of the most original and striking 
writers of modern Italy, makes a similar reference to his native 
land, in one of the choruses of his " Conte Carmagnola." 

" O thou devoted land that canst not rear 
In peace thine offspring ! thou the lost and won, 
The fair and fatal soil, that dost appear 
Too narrow still for each contending son ! 
Receive the stranger in his fierce career, 
Parting the spoils ! thy chastening has begun ! 
And wresting from thy kings the guardian sword, 
Foes whom thou ne'er hadst wronged sit proudly at thy board." 

But not only is beauty the predominant feature in the physical 
aspect of Italy, it is the chief element in its language and litera- 
ture. The language is melody itself, and wonderfully harmonizes 
with the soft beauty and mellow splendor of the landscape. The 
very common people speak it with a grace which is irresistible. 
It seems to warble from the lips of children like the song of early 
birds. It is ever gliding into poetry and song. Hence the won- 
derful facility of the Italian Improvisatori. It is indeed capable 
of the utmost compression and force. The Italian translation of 
Tacitus occupies less space than the original.* Nothing can ex- 
ceed the rugged energy of some parts of Dante's Divina Comnie- 
dia, or the trenchant force of Alfieri's tragedies. Nevertheless, 
the language is naturally soft and melodious, imaging, in its clear 
flow, all forms of beauty, and sparkling with the sunny radiance 
of its native skies. This, however, as some good judges have 
affirmed, has tended, particularly in the case of inferior writers, to 
corrupt Italian literature ; so that poverty of thought is often dis- 
guised " under a melodious redundancy of diction." Hence, too, 
some of their graver compositions, and especially their specimens 
of eloquence, are defective in simplicity and force. Some allow- 
ance, however, must be made for the influence of a sunny clime, 
and an ardent temperament. What seems flashy and magnilo- 
quent in northern Europe or America, may be perfectly natural in 
southern Italy. The soft and luxuriant beauty of their diction, 
soon palling upon our ear, may possess for them an irresistible 
and unwearied charm. A sense of harmony, a passionate love of 
the beautiful, a refined taste and a cultivated ear, seem almost 
universally diffused among the people. Some of the finest strains 
of Petrarch, Tasso, and Ariosto, are familiar to multitudes among 
the lower orders. The gondoliers of Venice were accustomed 

* Hallam speaks somewhat disparagingly of this translation. Others 
however, equally capable of judging, accord it high praise. 



ITALY. 351 

formerly to accompany their movements on the water, and reply 
to each other in the verses of Tasso, through the long summer 
night. The fine tones of the Tuscan peasants have often been 
admired. Who has not heard of 

" The Tuscan's siren tongue, 
That music in itself, 'whose words are song ?" 

The boys of Naples, even the lowest lazaroni, are constantly 
chanting the melodies which are sung in the operas. You hear 
them during the hours of the night ringing changes on their favor- 
ite, though somewhat monotonous and melancholy airs. The 
peasantry in the south of Italy go to market murmuring gay tunes. 
Ragged and poor, they will listen for hours in the public squares, 
or in the shadow of some old temple, to the wild poetry of the 
Improvisatori, with no other refreshment than a glass of cold 
water. 

The same sense of beauty is seen in the variety and elegance of 
their costumes, whose picturesque arrangement often appears as 
if borrowed from the models of ancient statuary ; in their love of 
natural scenery and out-door recreations ; in the flowers and other 
ornaments with which on fete-days they adorn their churches and 
public buildings ; and in the graceful manner in which the peas- 
antry cause the grape-vines to hang, in long festoons, about their 
cottages, and among the trees of their gardens and orchards. In 
the larger cities you see much squalid misery ; but in the country 
every thing is picturesque and beautiful. On hill-side and in val- 
ley, pretty cottages are nestling amid tufted trees, luxuriant vines, 
and flowers. 

* Imaginative and impassioned, the Italian writers, especially the 
poets — and almost all of them are more or less poets — give them- 
selves up to the full play of their fancy, and revel in the wildest 
imaginings, the most delicate and brilliant illusions. Even in the 
horrid scenes of the Inferno, gleams of beauty are ever breaking 
upon the vision ; and in the description of heaven, Dante loses 
himself in unutterable splendors. Beatrice, with her cerulean 
eyes and golden hair, is the symbol of " increate" and everlasting 
beauty. Light, music, and motion, are the three simple elements 
in Dante's description of the celestial world, but how wondrously 
and gorgeously blended in the overpowering glory of its mystic 
circles. Boccaccio, Ariosto, Pulci, Berni, and Metastasio, are 
" drunk with beauty." It was as much the beauty of the moon 
and stars, as their wondrous revolutions, that captivated the heart 
of Galileo. Machiavelli, cold and subtle as he may be deemed, 
was a poet, and never enjoyed himself better than among his birds 



352 THE WORLD WE LIVE IX 



and vines. Beauty was the polar star of Petrarch, who strangely 
mingles the raptures of devotion and of love. It was the dream 
of Tasso, and gleams, with a supernal glory, through the long and 
majestic march of the Gerusalemme. Much indeed of the Italian 
poetry is liable to stern reprehension, on account of its low moral 
tone, its frivolity and licentiousness ; but its pervading element is 
beauty, radiant and immortal. 

The same element is visible in all the productions of their paint- 
ers and sculptors. The serene beauty of Raphael's Madonnas is 
absolutely wonderful. Michael Angelo's Moses, and his two 
statues of Night and Morning, are remarkable for severity and 
grandeur of expression, but, after all, it is the divine beauty which 
beams from the whole, which gives them their peculiar charm. 
Walk through the long corridors of the Vatican, or the magnifi- 
cent rooms of the Pitti palace, amid a wilderness of sculptures 
and paintings from the hands of the great masters of ancient and 
of modern Italy, and the very air seems redolent of beauty. It 
awes the spirit like a presence and a mystery. In those silent 
forms it lives forever, imbreathed by the power of genius — a 
charm and a glory acknowledged alike by the philosopher and 
the savage. For, 

" A thing of beauty is a joy forever !" 

Nothing, it would seem, could be more repulsive than the head 
of Medusa, environed with snakes ; and yet, in the hands of Leo- 
nardo da Vinci, it is made attractive, by means of a strange, and, 
if the term be allowed, a hideous beauty. Shelley has caught the 
true idea, in one of his most striking, though unfinished poems : 

" It lieth gazing on the midnight sky, 

Upon the cloudy mountain peak supine ; 

Below, far lands are seen tremblingly ; 
Its horror and its beauty are divine. 

Upon its lips and eyelids seem to lie 

Loveliness like a shadow, from which shrine. 

Fiery and lurid, struggling underneath, 

The agonies of anguish and of death." 

Of course we need not say that the music of Italy corresponds 
to the beauty of her landscape, consisting as it does in elaborate, 
but intense and ravishing harmony. Who has not heard of Rosini, 
with his exquisite creations ; and who has not been moved, at the 
recollection even, of the " Stabat Mater" of Pergolesi, styled the 
Raffaele of music ; or the " Miserere" of Jomelli, with its strangely 
sweet and melancholy tones ? 

We know not but we might be justified in saying that beauty is 



ITALY. 353 

the predominant feature in the religion of Italy ; not, however, 
"■the beauty of holiness ;" would that it were ! but external beauty, 
the beauty of form and semblance ; the symbol, it is true, of a 
higher and divine beauty, but often separated from it by a great 
gulf, like the body of the dead from the spirit which has taken its 
flight.. So we find it enshrined in their temples and altars. These, 
indeed, are often adorned, or rather we ought to say, bedizened, 
with tinsel and gewgaws, and, what is worse, with tawdry images, 
mere idols of wood and stone. A rude, barbaric splendor, worthy 
only of the dark ages, often takes the place of a true and simple 
beauty. Nay more, both in form and arrangement, their churches, 
and especially their altars, are more allied to the genius of hea- 
thenism than of Christianity. After all, the most of their eccle- 
siastical edifices possess a wonderful charm, from their fine pro- 
portions and antique air. The cathedral, in Milan, has been styled 
an epic in stone. "It appears," says one, "like a petrified orien- 
tal dream." St. Peter's, at Rome, is the very perfection of beauty 
and grandeur. The majestic dome, and the serene festal air of 
the interior, strike the most casual observer. Santa Maria Novella, 
and the ancient church of Santa Croce, in Florence, are distin- 
guished by a simple and venerable beauty. But some of the old 
churches in the country, amid umbrageous trees and clustering- 
vines, are yet more beautiful even than these, blending as they do 
with the glories of nature, and often hiding a deeper and more 
heartfelt worship. 

But we are off in the direction of Milan, and soon find ourselves 
traversing the rich plains of Lombarcly, so long under the dominion 
of Austria, and the scene of so many struggles. On every side 
are innumerable farms and villages, occupied by a poor but indus- 
trious peasantry. The lands are divided and subdivided to an 
astonishing extent, and as the peasantry who work them are not 
the proprietors, and have large taxes to pay to government, while 
one-half the produce of their little farms goes to their owners, 
few or none of them acquire property. They merely live and 
transmit from father to son their scanty heritage of labor. Let it 
not, however, be supposed that they are an unhappy race. Doubt- 
less they long for something better, and most of them, with the 
true Italian spirit, yearn for freedom and national independence, 
but they toil on with patience and cheerfulness. Their religion 
would seem to be of a darker and severer character than that of 
southern Italy. Every where you see hideous crucifixes, with 
skeleton Christs. The churches have a somber look, and their in- 
terior is often quite gloomy. The scenery is agreeable but monot- 
onous, and the villages through which we are passing have a poor 



354 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



and squalid look. The proprietors and gentry live in the large 
cities, while the country is left to the peasantry, priests, and 
monks. 

The Lorabardo-Venetian kingdom, as it is called, has been for 
years one of the most valuable possessions of Austria, and will 
never be willingly abandoned by that powerful and grasping em- 
pire. It extends from the Alpine hights, including Carinthia, 
Tyrol, and the (xrisons, to the banks of the Po ; and thus embraces 
the whole expanse of northern Italy, except the portions which 
belong to Sardinia, and one or two of the smaller duchies on the 
northwest, from the shores of the Adriatic on the one side, to- 
ward those of the Mediterranean on the other. It is the best 
watered, and, in agriculture, the richest portion of Italy. This, in 
connection with various alliances, has enabled Austria to control 
the whole Italian peninsula. 

It is true, the resources of the country have been well devel- 
oped, and even elementary instruction provided for every com- 
mune ; but the general policy has been despotic and cruel. The 
inhabitants intensely hate their oppressors and long for indepen- 
dence. And no wonder, for, under Austrian rule, every Italian is 
excluded from office, the press is muzzled, and enormous sums are 
levied from the inhabitants in the shape of taxes. A free word, 
or. a free act, has entailed instant imprisonment and death. The 
paternal government is well supplied with dungeons and bayonets, 
and to maintain its rule will not hesitate to deluge the whole land 
in blood. 

But yonder is Milan, "which stands," says Von Raumur, "in 
a sea of green trees, as Venice in a sea of green waters." It con- 
tains something more than a hundred and fifty thousand inhabit- 
ants, and boasts the possession of an extensive commerce, splendid 
public edifices, and an active, enterprising population. In form it 
is nearly circular, lying in a vast plain, and surrounded by a slight 
bastioned wall and broad ramparts adorned with trees. We pass 
under its lofty arches, guarded by Austrian bayonets, and take 
possession of apartments near the Duomo, the largest and most 
beautiful cathedral of Northern Italy, and only inferior in size and 
splendor to St. Peter's in Rome. 

Sauntering around the city, we visit the old church of St. Am- 
brose, where repose the bones of that devout and simple-hearted 
bishop, an object of adoration to the faithful ; and in whose crypts 
are to be seen some singular relics, among which an immense bra- 
zen serpent is conspicuous, claimed to be nothing less than " the 
serpent in the wilderness !" This will do very well to put along- 
side of " the top of the well of Samaria," " the lance that pierced 



ITALY. 355 

our Savior's side," and " the vail of Veronica," exhibited in Rome 
itself! The defaced painting of Leonardo da Vinci also attracts 
our attention, but it is interesting only as a memorial of what it 
once was, and of the transcendent genius who painted it ; for it is 
much injured by time, and has lost nearly all its distinctive traits. 
The Ambrosian library and the public museum, in which are some 
fine paintings of the old masters, are not neglected ; but of these 
we say nothing. For, to tell the honest truth, Milan is interesting 
to us chiefly on account of its great men, its ancient memories, its 
generous aspirations, and noble struggles for freedom. Here 
Beccaria, Monti, and Foscolo wrote and sang. Here especially, 
Silvio Pellico, Manzoni, Maroncelli and others were associated, not 
only in friendship, but in the sacred cause of liberty and progress ; 
and from this place some of them were driven forth to exile and 
imprisonment. 

But we must indulge ourselves with one sight — the view from 
the summit of the cathedral. Ascending by long winding stairs, 
we find ourselves far above the dust and din of the hot and busy 
city, amid a forest of pinnacles with sculptured saints and angels, 
glittering like frostwork in the light of the setting sun — 

" An aerial host 
Of figures, human and divine, 
White as the snows of Apennine 
Indurated by frost." 

It is as if a mountain of marble had become vital, and flowered 
into that " starry zone." But an object of vaster grandeur and 
more thrilling beauty instantly attracts our attention. Yonder, 
at the distance of a hundred miles or more, but clearly marked 
against the sky, are the lofty ranges of the Alps, bathed in mel- 
low light. How gloriously they lift their calm summits into the 
heavens, as if they formed a pathway to the throne of God, on 
which the angels, as in Jacob's dream, might be seen " ascending 
and descending." The colors change and deepen, now taking a 
soft, rosy tint, now a rich crimson, and then a brilliant purple. 
The plains beneath are putting on the " sober livery" of evening, 
the base of the mountains is itself covered with shadows ; but the 
light, as if loth to depart, lingers upon their summits, and grows 
more and more intense among the white glacier peaks. Vast and 
shadowy, these everlasting mountains seem invested with an awful 
but delightful serenity, reminding us of the " peace of God which 
passeth all understanding" — the profound and eternal repose of 
the spirits of just men made perfect. Gazing on them at this 
hushed hour, 



356 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



" We receive into our soul 
A something that informs us 'tis an hour 
Whence we may date henceforward and forever." 

We should be glad to visit Sardinia, with her beautiful capital, 
Turin, but must leave it for the more central and southern cities 
of Italy. 

We are in Venice. * * * Early in the morning, just as the 
sun is rising from the blue waves of the Adriatic, w T e ascend the 
lofty tower of St. Mark, that ancient, Oriental-looking cathedral, 
whose Byzantine magnificence reminds us of the early glory of the 
Eepublic, and the blind old Doge Dandolo, who brought back 
from his Eastern crusade the treasures of Constantinople to adorn 
the capital. The light begins to cast a deep flush upon the bosom 
of the deep, and tinge, with purple glories, the distant summits of 
the Euganean hills. A slight haze, flecked with sunshine, hovers 
over the city far beneath us. Half in shadow, half in light, gleam 
the long ranges of streets, old palaces, towers, and churches, 
threaded by innumerable canals, in which the dark gondolas, 
loaded with provisions, fruits, and flowers from the country, are 
seen gliding to and fro, and making their way to the center of the 
city. Yonder is the magnificent arch of the Rialto, the palace of 
the Doge, the Giant's Stairs, and beneath, the Bridge of Sighs, 
over which criminals passed on their way to imprisonment and 
death ; and the dark, deep dungeons below, where the lonely pris- 
oner, in the hush of the morning, or the silence of the night, could 
hear the plashing of the water, and the stroke of the oar above 
his head. Bridges innumerable span the canals, and every where 
you see marks of the former wealth and splendor of Venice. But 
the light deepens, and the whole city glows, like an Oriental 
dream, in the soft radiance of the flickering suu. 

" Underneath day's azure eyes, 
Ocean's nursling, Venice, lies — 
A peopled labyrinth of walls, 
Amphitrite's destined halls, 
Which her hoary sire now paves 
With his blue and beaming waves. 
Lo, the sun up-springs behind, 
Broad, red, radiant, half-reelined 
On the level quivering line 
Of the waters crystalline ; 
And before that chasm of light, 
As within a furnace bright, 
Column, tower, and dome, and spue 
Shine like obelisks of fire."* 

* Shelley. 



358 



THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 




ITALY. 359 

But this is the poetical aspect of Venice. Descend into the 
streets or canals, and pass around from point to point, and every 
where you will see tokens of decay. Many of the old palaces are 
deserted, or falling into ruins ; and although much of grandeur 
and beauty yet remain, it is faded and dim. The city contains a 
large population, and has considerable commerce, but nothing in 
comparison to what it once enjoyed, when it was the " Queen of 
the seas," and " Mistress of a hundred isles." Indeed, it is but 
the shadow of its former self. 

Venice boasts a remote antiquity. In the days of Attila, when 
the Huns and Lombards overran the north of Italy, the poor in- 
habitants took refuge in the reedy islands of the Adriatic, par- 
ticularly in the Riva Alto, or Rialto, where they built their rude 
huts, and ramparts to protect them from their enemies. Silently 
and imperceptibly rose the city from the sea, occupied by a nu- 
merous and enterprising population. A small democratic repub- 
lic, the first in modem Europe, was established, under magistrates 
called tribunes. In the year 69V, the islands elected their first 
Doge, or Dux, that is, leader or chief, in the person of Paolucci 
Anafesto. The tribunes, or the nobility, had the judiciary, the 
people the legislative, and the Doge the executive power. Gradu- 
ally Venice increased her commerce, and extended her dominion. 
The sea was covered with her ships, and the land with her citizens, 
artisans, and merchants. 

Venice added to her power and glory, by assisting Alexander 
Third in humbling the fierce Barbarossa ; in return for which ser- 
vice, and as a lasting memorial of his esteem, that able but am- 
bitious pontiff bestowed upon her a ring, with which to espouse 
the sea, and symbolize the empire which he bestowed upon her 
over the waters of the globe. This was the origin of the well- 
known nuptials of Venice with the Adriatic, celebrated each year 
with great pomp and ceremony, in the Bucentaur. 

This was the period of her greatest commercial and military 
glory ; the manners of the people were softened, and the arts 
began to flourish. 

At the close of the thirteenth century the East India trade 
passed from Constantinople to Alexandria ; Genoa, the rival of 
Venice, possessed herself of the commerce of the Byzantine Em- 
pire ; and the overreaching nobles of the Venetian Republic de- 
clared themselves hereditary. Then commenced the subversion 
of her free institutions ; and although Venice continued to increase 
in wealth and greatness until the fifteenth century, and gained 
great advantages over Genoa and the neighboring countries, the 
seeds of decline were sown in her constitution. From that time . 



360 TIIE WORLD WE LIVE DT, 



she gradually descended from her hig-h and palmy state. The 
Portuguese discovered a passage by sea to the East Indies ; the 
Turks, who had become masters of Constantinople, swept every 
thing before them, and took possession of most of her Oriental con- 
quests ; while long and harassing wars with the neighboring re- 
publics exhausted her resources and reduced her wealth. The 
government of the State was invested in a Council of Ten, and 
three Inquisitors were chosen, with unlimited powers to cite, im- 
prison, and punish all suspected persons. For this purpose they 
made ample use of spies and informers, racks and dungeons. 
Thousands of citizens disappeared, no one could tell when or how ; 
and a spirit of fear and suspicion took possession of the public 
mind. Yet was Venice ever a gay and giddy scene. The citizens 
gave themselves up to the pursuit of pleasure. Intrigue and de- 
bauchery went hand in hand with tyranny and fear. 

" The sea, that emblem of uncertainty, 
Changed not so fast for many and many an age 
As this small spot. To-day 'twas full of masks ; 
And lo ! the madness of the carnival, 
The monk, the nun, the holy legate masked ! 
To-morrow came the scaffold and the wheel ; 
And he died there by torch-light, bound and gagged, 
Whose name and crime they knew not." 

And yet, strange to tell, this lasted for many long years ; and 
the strength, energy, and consistency of the Venetian government 
were a wonder and mystery to all the States of Europe. Machia- 
velli is in raptures with it ; and, even now, it inspires, in many 
minds, a feeling of reverence and awe. Doubtless many of the 
State councilors and inquisitors were men not only of profound 
sagacity, but of lofty patriotism. Occasionally they displayed all 
the resources of genius and virtue. But, generally, they were a 
proud and ambitious race, who used their tremendous power for 
purposes of oppression and revenge. 

The jurisdiction of the Ten was prompt and energetic ; their 
police, the most perfect in the world ! Neither innocence nor 
crime, neither power nor cunning could escape them, when bent 
upon the execution of their plans. A Frenchman of high rank 
was robbed in Venice, and had complained that the police were 
vigilant only as spies upon strangers. On leaving the city, his 
gondola was suddenly stopped. Inquiring the reason, the gondo- 
liers pointed to a boat with a red flag that had just made them a 
signal. It arrived, and he was called on board : 

" You are the Prince de Craon ? Were you not robbed on 
Friday evening ?" 

" I was." 



ITALY. 361 

" Of what ?" 

" Of five hundred ducats." 

"And where were they?" 

" In a green purse." 

"Do you suspect anybody?" 

" I do : a servant." 

" Would you know him again ?" 

" Certainly." 

The questioner with his foot turned aside an old cloak that lay 
there, and the prince beheld his purse in the hand of a corpse ! 

" Take it, and remember, that none set their feet again in a 
country where they have presumed to doubt the wisdom of the 
government." 

But the old Venetian Republic, State Council, and Inquisition, 
have passed away forever. The government yielded to Napoleon 
without a blow, and after his downfall, Austria set her foot upon 
the proud and beautiful city. But the memory of the past burns 
in the heart of the people. They will never submit to despotism, 
and must be free once more ; but, alas ! when ? 

Pass into St. Mark's Place of an evening, and all seems life and 
pleasure. Gay and various costumes, illuminated coffee-houses, 
parties of pleasure, joyous conversation, and sprightly music, 
make the scene like one of fairy-land. Can such a people long 
for independence? Can they fight for freedom? — have they 
strength to grasp it, and, above all, to keep it, in the face of glit- 
tering bayonets, of exile and death ? They have tried, but failed. 

One of the most delightful days that ever broke upon the world, 
finds us among the verdant Apennines, on our way to Florence. 
The eastern sky is " all roseate," while the rest of the heavens is 
beginning to tremble with the flashing radiance. The summits of 
the mountains, crowned here and there with the ruins of an old 
castle, a church, or a convent, are burning in the golden light of 
opening day, while the vales beneath are reposing in a soft but 
rapidly vanishing twilight. Now we are rattling along the base 
of the steep mountain, with a stream on one side, and • a pretty 
village on the other ; anon, we are climbing some wooded acclivity 
or rough ascent, from which a wide expanse of hills and vales, 
trees and streams, exhilarates the eye. At one time we pass a 
small chapel, with a dark-looking shrine, where kneel a few devo- 
tees before the sacred relics of some ancient saint, or an image of 
the Virgin mother, the beautiful goddess of the papal worship ; 
at another, we descry some pretty cottages nestling among the 
trees and sheltering vines of the mountain's side ; and just beyond 
them the remains of an old feudal castle, in which some fierce 

16 



302 THE WORLD WE LIVE EN". 



Bolognese or Florentine noble cooped himself in the dark and 
stormy times of the twelfth century. 

Look abroad over the face of Nature ; see how attractive it is, 
how grand and spirit-stirring amid these sublime but beautiful 
Apennines. Softer and greener than the mountains of Switzer- 
land, and falling far below them in hight and majesty, they yet 
possess a grandeur of their own, softening at every step into the 
most delicate and entrancing beauty. The scattered cottages, 
poor enough in themselves, but rich in their garniture of trees 
and vines ; groups of peasantry here and there, poor as their 
mountain homes, but with picturesque dresses, and in some in- 
stances fine forms ; orchards and gardens scattered on the hill-sides 
and in the plains ; in one or two places, broken arches stretching 
from the mountain to the bottom of the valley — hi others, some 
monastery or convent, perched on the very summit of the rocky 
ridge ; frequent flowers and clumps of trees hanging over fount- 
ains, or dipping their green branches in pellucid pools asleep in 
the valleys : goats clambering the rough precipice, or balancing 
themselves upon the toppling edge of a deep ravine ; the shout or 
song of shepherds echoing far and near amid the stillness of the 
mountains ; glad voices of children at play in the villages beneath ; 
and over all, the radiant sky burning like a chrysolite, and bathing 
the landscape with its ethereal hues ; — all combine to attract our 
attention, and thrill our hearts with bright and blessed thoughts. 
Oh, how delightful to turn away from the care and sorrow of 
earth, the turmoil of politics, and the contests of ambition, to the 
quiet retreats of Nature, where God and man may meet and com- 
mune, without distraction and annoyance ! 

But here, perhaps, it may be well enough to describe our fel- 
low-travelers ; for their earnest talking has withdrawn us from our 
reveries. Right opposite sits a tall, military-looking gentleman, 
with a keen eye and handsome moustache. As Ave learn from 
conversation, he is a native of Tuscany, and connected with the 
army, and although rather taller than the Tuscans generally, is a 
fair representative of his countrymen. His quick, dark eye, pol- 
ished manners, and vivacious temper, well correspond to the idea 
which we have formed of their appearance and character. On 
one side is a well-made, grave, yet cheerful-looking priest from 
Germany, on his way to the Holy City. He is evidently intelli- 
gent ; but, as we readily ascertain, bigotedly attached to the 
Papal Church, with whose doctrines he seems familiar. Sitting 
beside him is a friar, sandaled and bareheaded, with a shaven 
crown, and a demure, but rosy, good-natured look. He cons his 
breviary with remarkable ease and perseverance, but without the 



ITALY. 363 

slightest appearance of devotion ; and now and then ventures a 
remark, indicating more sense than one would think he possessed. 
He belongs to the order of Franciscans, many of whom are fat 
and lazy ; a few lean and ascetic ; and others, and perhaps the 
greater number, proud and assuming. The Franciscans are, rather 
more than the other orders, devoted to preaching, but few of 
them possess much learning or oratorical power. A few are 
earnest and impassioned speakers, and produce some effect upon 
their excitable hearers during the season of Lent, the great preach- 
ing time of the Catholic Church. On this side sits a Lombard 
merchant from Milan, the finest looking of them all, with a capa- 
cious forehead, auburn hair, and blue eyes, an expression of firm- 
ness and serenity about the mouth, a good clear voice, and a com- 
mon-sense style of talking. Next to him is a little, fiery fellow, 
in black clothes, and a three-cornered hat, a Jesuit, perhaps, from 
the Neapolitan States, full of zeal for the holy Catholic, apostolical 
Church. All these are fair types of their respective countrymen, 
who have marked peculiarities which distinguish them from one 
another. This is. especially the case with the Milanese merchant, 
who reminds us of the fine race who occupy the fertile vales of 
the Adige and the Po. Descended from the old Ostrogoths and 
Lombards, they possess considerable energy and worth of char- 
acter. Not quite so impetuous as some of their southern neigh- 
bors, particularly the Romans and Neapolitans, the latter of whom 
have some infusion of Grecian and Moorish blood, the nations of 
northern Italy have more firmness and consistency of character, 
and are capable of great effort and endurance. They are the best 
soldiers in Italy. The Piedmontese on one side and the Venetians 
on the other, differ somewhat from these ; the former being keen, 
worldly, and penetrating, and the latter ingenious and pleasure- 
loving. The Tuscans are versatile and polished, the Romans 
thoughtful and aspiring, and the Neapolitans impetuous and fickle. 

But we are getting prosy ; and the diligenza, with its six horses, 
and huge-booted, black-moustached postillions,, whooping, groan- 
ing, and spurring, is rattling down hill, and our friend the friar is 
reading his breviary so earnestly, that we fall back upon our 
cushioned seat, and let the fresh air of the cool valley which is re- 
ceiving us blow upon our forehead, and the serene, festal aspect 
of the landscape steal into our heart. 

But our friends are getting loquacious, and the subject of their 
conversation, suggested by the remark of the German canon, on 
the present condition of Italy, turns upon the Church. All are 
rigid Catholics, except the Lombard merchant, who, though ob- 
viously attached to the Church of his fathers, distinguishes be- 



364 THE "VVOELD WE LE7E EST. 



tween its superstitions, and the great spirit of faith and love by 
which it ought to be animated. But the friar and canon, and 
especially the Jesuit, defend every thing, and express the greatest 
horror of liberality, as leading to error and ruin. They confine 
salvation to the pale of the holy Catholic and apostolic Church, 
as they call it, and denounce Protestants as heretics and apostates. 

" But surely," we say, "you do not defend the superstitions of 
the Church — the pretended miracles, the holy coats, mystic amu- 
lets and heathen ceremonies, which every candid man in the nine- 
teenth century must acknowledge as errors and deformities." 

" Sir," is the quick and somewhat offended reply, " the Church 
has no superstitions, no pretended miracles, no heathen ceremonies." 

"Well now, tell us candidly," we rejoin, "do you really be- 
lieve that actual miracles are performed at the present day in the 
Papal Church ? Do priests generally believe them ? Do popes, 
cardinals, and bishops maintain their credibility ?" 

" Most assuredly they do," is the decisive answer. 

To confirm this statement, the canon, aided by the Jesuit and 
friar, goes into a lengthened statement, too prosy and too absurd 
to be repeated, as to the occurrence of recent miracles in Italy, in 
one of which the Holy Virgin opened her eyes upon a young 
devotee who craved her aid ; another, in which she appeared, in 
glory, to some children on the mountains ; a third, in which she 
revealed herself to an infidel Jew, who was thereby converted ; 
and a fourth, in which she delivered a young man from the grasp 
of robbers and murderers ; how also certain holy women, in an 
ecstasy, received the stigmata of Christ — sacred wounds inflicted 
by an invisible hand, and resembling those on our Saviour's cru- 
cified body. 

Here we imagine that we discover a smile of derision on the 
lips of the Tuscan officer, Catholic as he is, and the Milan mer- 
chant absolutely laughs outright, to the great discomfiture of our 
priestly companions. 

To try them upon another point, we ask one question more : 

" Do you really believe that the Catholic Church is the only 
true, universal Church, and that all who die in her communion 
will certainly go to heaven ?" 

" Undoubtedly," they all respond at once ; and the Jesuit is 
proceeding to give his reasons, when we cut the discussion short, 
by exclaiming, in a playful voice — 

" Well, well ! your view is undoubtedly consistent enough ; but 
for our part, we rejoice in the sublime and cheering thought, that 
the true Church consists of all those, in any land, and in any sect 
or Church, who believe in Jesus Christ, incarnate love and purity, 



ITALY. 



365 




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ITALY. 367 

breathe his spirit, and obey his laws. At all events, we are dis 
posed to think and act for ourselves in the matter of religion, and 
willingly take our risk with the myriads of good and holy men, in 
all Protestant communions, who have blessed the world with their 
love and zeal." 

To this our friend from Lombardy nods an emphatic assent ; 
while the canon, the friar, and the Jesuit enter their protest 
against it as heretical and dangerous, adding, that there is only 
one God, one Saviour, one Church, and that said Church can be 
none other than the holy Catholic Church — a sentiment to which 
we inwardly assent, but not in the narrow and local sense of 
priestly assumption and bigotry. 

But polemics we dislike ; moreover, we have something better 
in prospect, for we are drawing near the capital of Tuscany. The 
increasing beauty of the country, the richness of the fields and 
gardens, the vines hanging in long and luxuriant festoons from the 
tall trees by the wayside, the smoothness of the roads, and the 
increase of travel, indicate our approach to a great city. Now 
we have attained the summit of the mountain ridge which encir- 
cles the magnificent natural amphitheater in which stands the city 
of Florence, like Jerusalem of old amid her coronet of mountains ; 
and all at one'e it flashes upon our sight — palace, dome, and 
tower blushing like a bride in the warm light of a Tuscan sky. 
Yonder, towering above the rest of the city, is the cupola of the 
cathedral, the work of Brunelleschi, and the model upon which 
Michael Angelo formed the cupola of St. Peter's ; the beautiful 
Campinille, by Giotto, worthy, as Charles the Fifth declared, to 
be encased in gold ; and nearer, the Pitti palace, the gardens of 
the Boboli, and the Arno, " classic stream," on whose banks once 
wandered the youthful Milton, on his visit to Italy, "framing 
Ovidian verse," and those other illustrious men, sculptors, paint- 
ers, and poets, who have shed over Florence and its environs the 
glory of poetical inspiration. 

Without crossing the Arno, and entering what may be called 
the heart of the city, we find a home for the present under the 
shadow of the Pitti palace, and not far from the Boboli gardens, 
in whose spacious and cool retreats we shall love to linger, in the 
hot summer day, or in the still and beautiful twilight, soothed by 
the noise of falling- fountains, the music of evening bells, or the 
deep hum of the busy city. 

Florence, the city of flowers, as the name imports, has ever 
been a favorite with poets and travelers. And certainly, though 
not so magnificent as Rome, or so striking as Naples, it has a 
quiet beauty of its own, which instantly wins our regard. 



3G8 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN. 



" Of all the cities of the earth 
None is so fair as Florence" — 



is the enthusiastic expression of the gentle and classic Rogers, 
"the poet of Italy." 



"Florence, beneath the sun, 
Of cities fairest one, 
Blushes within her bower," 

is the jet more harmonious and striking language of Shelley. 
Byron, too, was an enthusiastic admirer of Florence, and has em- 
balmed its glory in the verses of " Childe Harold." Ugo Foscolo 
has celebrated its graves, in his poem of "The Sepulchres." 
Macaulay speaks of " the fair, the happy, the glorious Florence/' 
as it was in the days of Lorenzo de Medici ; of " the halls which 
rung with the mirth of Pulci, the cell where twinkled the mid- 
night lamp of Politian, the statues where the young eye of Michael 
Angelo glowed with a kindred inspiration, and the gardens in 
which the young Lorenzo meditated some sparkling song for the 
May-day dance of the Etrurian virgins." 

It is obvious that much of the attraction with which Florence 
is invested, is owing to association of ideas ; to the golden memo- 
ries of that old heroic time when Dante and Petrarch sang, and a 
new era of power and splendor dawned upon Italy. 

" Along the banks where smiling Arno sweeps, 
Was modern luxury of commerce borne, 
And buried learning rose, redeemed to a new morn." — Byron. 

But in addition to its rich memories and hallowed associations, 
Florence has much in its situation, its pure air, its venerable as- 
pect, its massive but elegant buildings, its verdant gardens, and 
its peaceful river spanned with handsome bridges, to inspire ad- 
miration. Its environs are among the finest in the world. Lying 
on the banks of the Arno, and stretching gradually to the tops 
of the mountains which gird it on every side, with green meadows, 
clustering vines, and clumps of trees ; dotted, in every part, with 
villas, cottages, convents, and towers ; invested with the warm, 
rich coloring of an Italian sun ; the whole scene is one of rare and 
inspiring beauty. It contains the treasures of ancient and of 
modern art, the Venus de Medici, " Eve of the land which yet is 
Paradise," the Wrestler, the Niobe, the works of Angelo, Cellini, 
Baffaele, Titian, Canova, and a host of others ; the tombs of the 
Medici ; the wonderful statues of Night and Day ; the old Lau- 
rentian library, containing some rare and curious manuscripts, and 



ITALY. 369 

among other things, a finger of Galileo, preserved in a glass case, 
and pointing to the stars ; the old church of Santa Maria Novella, 
adorned with the radiant Madonna of Cimabue ; the bronze gates 
of the Baptistery, fit, according to Michael Angelo, to be the gates 
of Paradise ; and above all, Santa Croce, the Westminster of 
Florence, where repose 

" Angelo's, Alfieri's bones, and his, 
The starry Galileo with his woes ; 
Where Machiavelli's earth returned to whence it rose !" 

No wonder, then, if to imaginative minds the " Athens of Etru- 
ria" should possess so many charms ; and that the poets should 
unite in shedding over it ideal splendors. 

" Search within, 
Without ; all is enchantment. Tis the past 
Contending with the present ; and in turn 
Each has the mastery." — Rogers. 

But we do not intend to weary our readers with a minute de- 
scription of Florence, attractive as the subject is ; for this has 
been frequently done by others. Neither will we tire their pa- 
tience with a long catalogue or attempted description of her art- 
istic treasures. We will not say a word even of the Tribune, the 
Chapel de Depositi, the squares adorned with equestrian statues, 
nor of the vast museums of the Pitti palace. All this, and much 
more, we pass over as familiar to all. For, in good truth, these 
subjects have been written to perfect inanity by all sorts of tour- 
ists and sketchers who have seen but little else in their rapid 
flight through the country. It is the genius of Florence (which 
in many respects is the genius of Italy) which attracts our atten- 
tion. Her old heroic history, her spirit of wisdom and refinement, 
her dreams of glory, her long struggle for freedom, her love of 
the beautiful, and above all, the magnificent flowering of her poet- 
ical and artistic genius, possess an interest and a charm of the 
highest and most ennobling kind. 

The history of Florence reminds us often of the history of 
Athens ; and yet' it possesses a deeper interest, from the preva- 
lence of a new class of influences, and a new form of civilization. 
In the Tuscan Republic, not only the spirit of Grecian refinement, 
but also of Gothic strength and Christian virtue, came into con- 
tact with a thousand opposing obstacles, which resulted from the 
universal prevalence of ignorance, superstition, and licentiousness. 
Thus the forms of society and the elements of progress were more 
striking and energetic, and in their action and results more stu- 

16* 



370 THE WOKLD WE LIVE EST. 



pendous and far-reaching. For although Florence herself, as a 
republic, has passed away, and much of the grandeur and power 
of Christianity has been vitiated and overborne by those heathen 
and papal admixtures every where cherished in Italy ; yet the 
form of civilization wrought out in that land has diffused itself 
through the European world, and is yet destined to the highest 
triumphs even in Italy. We can discern in it a vitality which will 
yet cast off the wrappages of superstition, and emerge as from a 
tomb, glowing with immortal youth and vigor. So long as Chris- 
tianity, in its great principles, whether contained in books or insti- 
tutions, remains in a country, however covered up with the rub- 
bish of superstition and vice, there is hope for that country. 
Lying in that crude mass, like the chrysalis in the dust, is an 
organic life, which, quickened by the sun of liberty, shall yet burst 
its cerements, and go forth, in celestial beauty, to bless the world. 
But Florence has seen many dark and stormy changes. She is 
not now what she was in the days of old, although even then far 
from realizing the idea of a free or a truly Christian republic. She 
was born in the middle ages, in tempest and blood ; grew up, 
like a young giant, amid rapine and war, and held her liberties 
only by the stern hand of violence and crime. Yet her internal 
vigor was wonderful, and for a long series of years she maintained 
her integrity, and developed her resources with a genius and force 
such as the world has seldom seen. After all, her freedom was 
short-lived. It was based not upon virtue, but upon force ; upon 
expediency, "not upon" principle. Gothic feudalism contended 
with Christian democracy, papal supremacy with republican rule. 
Hence the constant struggle between the people and the nobles, 
between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, the power of the Emperor 
and the power of the Pope. Hence also the final supremacy of 
the Medici, and the loss of Florentine liberty. 

The early part of the fifteenth century, the age of Lorenzo de 
Medici, justly styled the Pericles of Florence, was distinguished 
for wealth and splendor. Florence was the resort of learned men 
from all parts of Italy and the world ; her merchants were princes 
and corresponded with kings. Poets, orators, and artists pro- 
duced, in their highest perfection, the bright creations of their 
genius and art. The people yet enjoyed a high degree of free- 
dom ; the Medici professed to ride according to the spirit of the 
Republic, and claimed to be the guardians of the rights and lib- 
erties of the citizens. Guicciardini, styled the Tuscan Thucydides, 
describes the state of Italy at that time, in the following enthusi- 
astic style : " Restored to supreme peace and tranquillity, culti- 
vated no less in her most mountainous and sterile places than in 



ITALY. 371 

her plains and more fertile regions, and subject to no other em- 
pire than her own, not only was she most abundant in inhabitants 
and wealth, but in the highest degree illustrious by the magnifi- 
cence of many princes, by the splendor of many most noble and 
beautiful cities, and by the seat and majesty of religion : she flour- 
ished with men pre-eminent in the administration of public affairs, 
and with geniuses skilled in all the sciences, and in every elegant 
and useful art." 

But an enfeebled faith and a boundless luxury begot venality 
and lust. The most shameless profligacy prevailed among the 
clergy, especially of the higher orders, the most outrageous self- 
ishness and ambition among the nobles. The common people 
were violent and disorderly ; the different republics coveted each 
other's possessions, and thirsted for each other's blood. The 
spirit of freedom took its flight, and Florence sunk in the gulf of 
despotism and crime. Deceived and betrayed by her professed 
friends, especially by Leo the Tenth, and subsequently by Clement 
the Seventh, she fell under the dominion of a foreign power ; and 
a long night of oppression and sorrow ensued. This, indeed, was 
the" state of things over the whole of the Italian peninsula. It 
was the consummation of papal ambition and imperial lust, in 
those beautiful cities, once the home of the free and the hope of 
the world. 

In the modern partition of Italy, Florence, with Tuscany, fell 
into the hands of a member of the House of Hapsburg, under 
whose reign, not over liberal or wise, the country has somewhat 
prospered. Yet it is poor and heavily taxed. Until recently, 
lotteries and all sorts of gambling, aided by superstitious usages, 
have been supported as a source of revenue by the State. But 
the Grand Duke of Tuscany has had sagacity enough to advance 
with the spirit of the age. For an Austrian, his course has been 
fair. To secure himself, he has conceded a liberal constitution. 
Ostensibly the press is free, and religious toleration is promised to 
all. But whether the provisions of this constitution will be car- 
ried out, remains to be seen. The recent revolution has proved a 
most unfortunate affair. The constitution, for the present, at least, 
is a dead letter. Proscription and intolerance are the order of the 
day. Austrian influence is dominant. Freedom has taken her 
flight from Florence. 



372 THE WOELD WE LITE EST. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



•CONTINUED. 



We have left Tuscany, and entered the States of the Churcfi, 
and are at once impressed with the poverty-stricken aspect ojf 
the country. How unlike New England or old England, with its 
beauty and thrift — how inferior even to the vine-fields of Etrurial 
and the plains of Lombardy ! Whatever benefits Rome has con- 
ferred upon other parts of the world, it has been a grievous bur- 
den to central Italy. The splendor of Rome has impoverished 
the people. 

Before us stretches the desolate Campagna, once "the garden 
of the Lord," now the dreariest and sickliest region in Christen- 
dom. Encircling the " holy city," as devout Catholics love to 
call it, itself suffering from internal exhaustion and decay, the 
Campagna furnishes a sad emblem of the withered and fruitless . 
condition of the Papal Church. We pass through it as we should 
pass through a church-yard, with a sort of mournful awe ; for, 
after all, it is hallowed ground. Here, with their colossal armies, 
once trod the masters of the world ; and yonder, gleaming in the 
light of a bright and balmy noon, that strange old city, with its t 
mighty memories and magnificent ruins. 

As we approach it, tower, column, and temple, triumphal arch' 
and hoary ruin rise, distinct and beautiful, before our fixed and 
half-dreamy gaze. Bewildered with the new and stirring thoughts 
that rush upon our mind, we scarcely notice the dreary condition 
of the outskirts of the city, or the lazy, squalid-looking beggars 
that begin to beleaguer our carriage, with their whining " Carita, 
Signor! Carita, Signor!" 

Well, well, it must be so ! The. shadow of Rome, next to Je 
rusalem the most interesting city in the world, is upon our spirits 
and we yield to the impression. "'Lone mother of dead empires !' 
" the Niobe of nations !" 

J " there she stands, ! 

:' Childless and crownless in her voiceless woe.' 
I 

Yet glorious even in her decay, enshrining all fair forms, all au- 
gust images, all thrilling associations, quickened moreover into 
something like new life by the spirit of change and revolution 
now pervading the nationsv 

Passing the Porto del Pop\>lo, on the site of the old Flaminian 



ITALY. 



373 




'isllHjj; 
"'iljliiilji^i! 

jillliiil';! '|!!:i!!! 

Ifiilp 1 ' ' 



ITALY. 375 

gate, and thence into the Piazza del Popolo, we soon find ourselves 
in the heart of Rome, still dreaming of the past, and feeling that 
we are in a city rather of the dead than of the living — 

" the city that 80 long 
Reigned absolute, the mistress of the world, 
The mighty vision that the prophet saw 
And trembled." 

It seems strange to be moving, in broad daylight, under the 
shadow of the Capitoline Hill, to skirt the old Roman Forum, the 
Tarpeian Rock, and the Mamertine Prison, to gaze upon the Par- 
thenon, and catch a glimpse of the "yellow Tiber," the Castle 
of St. Angelo, and the Dome of St. Peter's. 

" Ah, little thought I, when in school I sat, 
A schoolboy on his bench, in early dawn, 
Glowing with Roman story, I should live 
To tread the Appian — 

— or climb the Palatine, 
Long while the seat of Rome !" 

But it is chiefly as the seat of the early triumphs of Christian- 
ity, the scene of apostolic toils and holy martyrdoms, that we feel 
so peculiar an interest in visiting Rome. Here, in the early days 
of the Church, thousands were converted from heathenism to the 
religion of the cross, and shed their blood in its defense. Here a 
terrible struggle went on for ages between paganism and Chris- 
tianity, when at last Christianity conquered and placed itself upon 
the throne of the Caesars. But alas ! it was speedily vitiated by 
false admixtures, and worldly policy. Encircled with pomp and 
splendor, and forgetting the purity and simplicity of its early days, 
it grew into a monstrous form of despotism and corruption. True, 
it was infinitely better than paganism ; it yet possessed some re- 
deeming features, some sacred elements of purity and power, 
and, in a barbarous age, exerted over society some controlling 
and civilizing influence. Notwithstanding its degeneracy, what 
might, what majesty did it not exhibit ! Overshadowing the earth, 
and placing its foot on the neck of kings, it formed an object of 
admiration to the world, " a mystery" enshrined amid the sym- 
bols of religion and sensual display, inspiring dread and wonder 
in all beholders. It yet possesses elements of power, and were it 
only divested of its ultra-montanism, its spirit of bigotry and 
superstition, its papal hierarchy, and armies of monks, it might 
yet bless the world. It is not so much Catholicism as Popery — 
not so much the great body of Catholic worshipers as the spirit of 
Jesuitism, superstition, and idolatry, which constitutes the Anti- 



376 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



christ of Rome. It is difficult, however, if not impossible, to bum 
the husks and thorns, without at the same time destroying the 
precious flower which they are intended to guard. The Church 
of Rome, as an external institution, is tottering to its fall. Its 
foundations are sapped, and less than a century will see it in the 
dust. Yet is it even now a vast and mysterious power, fitted to 
excite the deepest emotions, and well worthy of the profoundest 
study ; like some huge edifice in the desert, covered with the 
weeds of ages, and gradually yielding to the might of all-destroy- 
ing time. 

Could Rome, indeed, blend with the spirit of the age — could 
she take into her bosom the life and energy of science and free 
inquiry — could she exorcise her wretched superstitions, her low 
fetichism and fanatical spirit — could she place her children under 
the guidance of the Word and Spirit of God, instead of traditions 
and hearsays ; above all, could she imbibe the free spirit of an 
enlarged and devout Protestantism, she might yet be regenerated, 
and become the center of a new and glorious form of civilization. 
The problem, however, is all but impossible of solution. 

The city of Rome contains a population of a hundred and fifty, 
or, perhaps, in summer time, when strangers abound there, a 
hundred and seventy thousand ; a goodly portion of whom are 
priests, monks, nuns, and beggars, who are of all orders, condi- 
tions, and colors, black, blue, white, and gray, and may be seen at 
any time of the day, or in any part of the city — some lounging 
in their scarlet carriages, and others gliding, sandaled and bare- 
headed, along the streets and avenues. 

The city may be described as consisting of two parts, the new 
and the old cities, interlocking, however, at particular points ; 
still, most of the ruins of the old city lie on one side of the new, 
and form a distinct portion of the whole. They cover the seven 
hills, a part of which only is occupied by the modern city, which 
extends toward the north and west, to a considerable distance 
beyond the Tiber, and covers other hills which have received new 
names. 

The Tiber, a slow and turbid stream, but possessing a beauty 
of its own, is spanned by several picturesque bridges, two or 
three of which belonged to the ancient city, reminding us of the 
days of Horace, who sang its praises to the music of the lyre. 
The principal is that of St. Angelo, adorned with marble statues, 
and terminating in the Castle of St. Angelo, once the Mausoleum 
of Adrian, but now the principal fortress of the city. On the top 
stands the statue of an angel, sword in hand, and the sides are 
bristling with cannon. Within are prisons and dungeons, some 



ITALY. 377 

of them formed for ingenious torture. It was in that old castle 
that Benvenuto Cellini, the famous Florentine goldsmith and 
sculptor, was confined, by the orders of an ungrateful Pope, and 
from which he made one of the most miraculous escapes, though 
nearly killing himself in the attempt. It was there that Bene- 
detto Fojano suffered a horrid and lingering death by starvation, 
for the crime of being a too eloquent and popular preacher, and 
that Ludovico Paschali, a Protestant from Piedmont, was strangled 
and burned for proclaiming the Gospel in Calabria.* 

The Castle of St. Angelo has an underground communication 
to St. Peter's, which has been occasionally used by the Popes in 
times of danger and emergency. For years it remained closed, 
but it was reopened some time since by Gregory Sixteenth. 

Taken as a whole, Rome must be pronounced one of the most 
magnificent cities in the world. It stands upon a noble site, pos- 
sesses a great number of superb edifices and majestic views, is 
adorned with spacious squares and fountains, and contains innu- 
merable specimens of the most perfect painting, and statuary, both 
of ancient and of modern times. Every where you meet objects 
which interest and please the mind. In one place is an immense 
and beautiful fountain, throwing up jets of virgin water, with a 
pleasant, gushing sound. In another is a column or an obelisk, 
brought from Greece or Egypt, or, it may be, dug from the ruins 
of the ancient city. Here is the Pillar of Trajan, adorned with an 
image of the apostle Peter, an incongruity, to be sure, but not an 
unpleasant one. Yonder is that of Antoninus Pius, surmounted 
by the statue of the apostle Paul. Beyond is the hoary ruin of a 
heathen temple, transformed into a Christian church. For, be it 
known, every thing here is lustrated and purified by the Popes, 
and changed from a pagan to a Christian use. 

Ascend the stairs of the Capitol, and at the top you meet the 
colossal statues of Castor and Pollux, standing by their noble 
steeds ; near them are the trophies of Marcus, and the two col- 
umns which served to measure the Roman empire, and in the 
square behind, the celebrated statue of Marcus Aurelius, which 
Michael Angelo was wont to admire as the very masterpiece of 
art, saying that the horse did not seem to stand, but to move. 

* Many other Protestants suffered martyrdom at Rome. The celebrated 
Florentine nobleman and Protestant, Carnessecchi, -was beheaded and 
burned at Rome, 1567. Bartolomeo Bartoccio, son of a wealthy citizen of 
Castello, was condemned to be burnt alive in the same city. With a firm 
step, he went to the place of execution, and whilst the flames enveloped 
his body he was heard exclaiming, " Vittoria ! Vittoria !" — Victory ! Vic- 
tory ! 



3 73 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



In the square fronting the palace of the Pope, on Monte Ca- 
vello, is another superb fountain, guarded by two colossal statues 
of Alexander the Great and his horses ; the one by Phidias, as is 
supposed, and the other by Praxiteles, so perfect that the noble 
animals, for an instant, seem to be alive. Before the church of 
St. John Lateran is an elegant and lofty obelisk, brought from the 
Temple of the Sun in Thebes, with its mystic hieroglyphics. An- 
other of a similar description stands in the area fronting St. 
Peter's, between two magnificent fountains, whose waters are seen 
falling and plashing, with a musical sound, in the soft silence 
which reigns around. Other obelisks, columns, and statues, of an 
inferior description, are scattered over the city, in the squares and 
by the fountains. 

The ruins of the old city, so vast and hoary, intermingling in 
part with the buildings of the modern one, impai't to the whole a 
character of peculiar solemnity and grandeur, while the neighbor- 
ing Campagna, so silent and deserted, and the dark volcanic 
mountains, which skirt the horizon, greatly highten the effect. 

But it must be confessed that Rome suffers by a minute in- 
spection. Many of the buildings, even of the modem city, are 
mean and going to decay. Most of the streets are' narrow and 
filthy beyond endurance. Beggars every where abound. You 
meet them at the corners of every street, and even by the altar of 
St. Peter's, and in the center of the Coliseum. Nuisances of 
every description invade churches and palaces, and produce an 
abominable stench throughout the city. The mass of the people 
are excessively poor. Vice, and especially licentiousness, is prev- 
alent, the foundling hospitals being generally well filled with ille- 
gitimate children ; and, besides, there is such a swarming of 
priests, such a profusion of paltry images of the Virgin and saints, 
such evident marks of superstition, ignorance, and vice, that it re- 
quires an effort to think worthily of the eternal city. The most 
delightful part of it is that which covers the site of ancient Rome, 
the Forum, tying among the seven hills, and the venerable ruins 
around, intermingled with gardens and trees. 

Next to the ruins and memories of the ancient city, Rome de- 
rives its principal interest, as a subject of study, from its sacred or 
ecclesiastical character. It is the seat of the Papal court, the 
center and focus of Catholic Christendom. Here, then, if any 
where, the Roman Church must be seen in its perfection. The 
government and police, as well as religion and morals, are under 
the control of ecclesiastics ; so that the city is pervaded from its 
heart to its extremities with the spirit and energy of Catholicism. 
Indeed, it may be said that the whole is a Church, a temple of 



ITALY. 379 

religion, a sacred shrine in which is deposited the very soul of the 
papacy. Of this Church all the citizens are members ; every one 
must go to confession ; every one, some time or other, must par- 
take of the sacrament, or sacrifice of the mass ; every one must 
do homage to the Pope and the priesthood, must die in the faith, 
and be buried in holy ground. Unless excommunicated by the 
solemn ban of the Church, each citizen of Rome is a child of the 
papacy, and a member of the " Holy Catholic, Apostolic Church." 
Many indeed are not particularly strict, at least on ordinary occa- 
sions, in the observation of the innumerable rites and ceremonies 
enjoined by their superiors. Others again are infidels and scoffers, 
but privately, for fear of consequences. Others hate the priests, 
and especially the monks, with a perfect hatred, and make no 
great secret of it either. Many would rejoice to see the whole 
system of ecclesiastical despotism abolished forever. The great 
mass of the people, and especially the more wealthy and intelli- 
gent classes, seldom if ever go to church, except on high festival 
occasions, and even then take only a partial or a political interest 
in the services. 

We might, on a Sunday, go through all the churches in Rome, 
and not find more than four or five thousand worshipers, from 
among the populace, though these churches are very numerous, 
and some of them capable of containing from ten to twenty thou- 
sand persons. The majority in all would be found to be females 
and poor people. * We have said that all must confess ; but how 
or where they do so, it is impossible to say ; for only the poorer 
classes confess at church. The Sabbath is very much of a holi- 
day, in the secular sense of the term, and the greater portion of 
the day is spent in visiting, rambling, and other recreations. We 
are bound, however, to regard the majority of the inhabitants as 
devout Catholics, for they are so held by their ecclesiastical supe- 
riors, and form a part of the sacred city. Duly baptized and con- 
firmed, they live and die in the faith of their fathers. If it is 
inquired whether they are truly religious, that is another question, 
which even Pope Pius the Ninth, or Father Ventura, might hesi- 
tate to answer. They fast and pray during Lent, go to church 
and crucify the flesh. But they are delighted when they get 
through it. They precede it with the carnival, and follow it with 
dancing and revelry ! 

Pass around among: the convents and churches, amounting in 
all to four or five hundred, perhaps more ; you find in nearly all 
the greatest magnificence. Here are innumerable altars and sa- 

* It is estimated that there are nearly 300 churches in Rome. 



380 THE WOULD WE LIVE US'. 



cred shrines, blazing with gems and gold, consecrated to all the 
saints in the calendar, to the Virgin Mother, to the twelve Apos- 
tles, and to the Holy Trinity ; and before which men of all nations 
and languages may bend, addressing their prayers indiscriminately 
to saint or angel, to the blessed Virgin, or to God himself. Here 
also are innumerable priests and confessors, an infinite variety of 
the most rare and precious relics — bones, arms, legs and skulls, 
fingers and nails, amulets and charms, rosaries and medals, conse- 
crated by popes of blessed memory, or other holy men, living and 
dead. Here also are collected, in the Vatican and in the churches, 
the most perfect specimens, of painting and statuary, intended 
more or less for the ornament and service of religion ; images of 
all forms and ages, apostolic and modern ; images of men and 
angels, of saints and martyrs, of Christ and God, in wood and 
stone, in oil-painting and fresco, some august and beautiful, others 
grotesque and striking, and all venerable and attractive to a de- 
vout Catholic. Here is the Basilica of St. Peter's, the most mag- 
nificent church in the world, the work of Michael Angelo, with 
its glorious cupola, four hundred and fifty feet from the ground, 
and the whole interior so vast, so beautiful, so harmonious, that it 
has been likened to "a ceaseless, changeless melody;" here, in 
this august temple, which is the wonder of every traveler, is " the 
veritable tomb of St. Peter," forming a small subterranean chapel 
in the center of the cathedral, with a hundred lamps burning 
around it, night and day, and surmounted by the bronze canopy 
of Bernini, richly adorned and supported by four ornate pillars, a 
hundred and twenty feet in bight; the tombs of popes and 
princes, with all forms of pagan and Christian beauty, some of 
them almost nude, guarding the precious dust of kings and priests ; 
on all sides altars, ornamented with gorgeous paintings and sculp- 
ture, gold, silver, and precious stones ; and above all, the bronze 
statue of Jupiter Capitolinus — the apostle Peter, we mean, for the 
old statue of the heathen god, found in the Capitol, has been lus- 
trated by the popes, and placed here, with a glory around his 
head, for the adoration of the faithful ; his sacred toes worn and 
polished by the rubbings and kissings of innumerable pilgrims. 
Whatever this statue may be on the score of religion, it is cer- 
tainly an incongruity on the score of taste. It is only about as 
large as life, while every thing around it is colossal ; the infant 
cherubs by the vases which contain the holy water, near the prin- 
cipal entrance, are of giant size, while the pen in the hand of St. 
Mark, above the frieze of the cupola, is six feet in length. Never- 
theless it is the genius of the place, the great object of love and 
reverence to the devout Catholic. This church is dedicated not 



ITALY. 381 

to the glory of the Supreme Being, but to the glory of Peter, 
"in honorem principis apostolorum."* 

St. Peter's may be regarded as a symbol of the Roman Catho- 
lic faith, vast, venerable, and imposing, but enshrining many 
heathen forms and superstitions. Relics of the past mingle with 
embellishments of the present ; pagan images with Christian rites. 
" The general expression of the place," says Madame de Stael, 
" perfectly typifies a mixture of obscm-e dogmas and sumptuous 
ceremonies ; a mine of sad ideas, but such as may be soothingly 
applied ; severe doctrines capable of mild interpretation ; Christian 
theology and pagan images ; in fact, the most admirable union of 
all the majestic splendors which man can give to his worship of 
the Divinity." Is not this only a gentle and poetical mode of ex- 
pressing the fact that the religion of Rome, which in another place 
she says, " weds the ancient and the modern faiths in the mind," 
is half pagan and idolatrous in its character and worship ? The 
"majestic splendors" may dazzle a human eye; but alas! they 
grow pale before the eye of Him from whose face the heavens and 
the earth flee away. 

" Richer by far is the heart's adoration, 
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor !" 

In Rome also is the Basilica, or church of St. John Lateran, so 
called because it is dedicated to St. John, and built upon the site 
occupied by the Roman Senator Plautius Lateranus ; the mother 
church of Christendom, because it was given especially to the 
Bishop of Rome, and founded by the Emperor Constantine. It is 
in the special diocese of the Pope, is the church in which he most 
frequently worships, and, in some respects, takes precedence over 
St. Peter's. It has often been restored and remodeled, is famous 
also for the five general councils held in it, and is the scene of the 
coi'onations of the Popes. Its interior is extravagantly rich, 
though very beautiful, in its decorations. Over the principal en- 
trance, you read, in large glaring capitals — " Omnium Urbis et 
Orbis Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput ;" Mother and Head of all 
Churches in the City and in the World I This church, of course, 
is rich in wondrous relics. Among these are shown the stone 
mouth of the well of Samaria, two pillars from Pilate's house, the 
table on which our Lord partook of the last supper, and a pillar 
of the temple split by the earthquake at the crucifixion ! ! In his 
own chapel the Pope keeps the wood of the true cross, the lance 
which pierced our Saviour's side, and the marvelous vail of Veron- 



* Inscription on the front of St. Peter's. 



382 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



ica, celebrated nearly as much as the Holy Coat of Treves ; for it 
bears, say the Catholics, the impress of our Saviour's face, trans- 
ferred to it when applied to wipe away the sweat Avhich gathered 
on his brow, as he went to crucifixion ! These are shown by his 
Holiness — yes, by his Holiness — whether he be Gregory Six- 
teenth, or the enlightened Pius Ninth, on great occasions, such as 
Holy Week, to the assembled multitudes, who regard them with 
the same feeling that induced the enthusiastic devotees at Treves, 
when they saw The Sacred Tunic, to exclaim, Holy Coat, pray 
for us ! 

Here also, belonging to the church of St. John Lateran, in a 
separate building, is the Santa Scala, or holy stair, consisting of 
twenty-eight marble steps, brought, as the authorities affirm, from 
Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, and the identical steps up which our 
Savior walked to Pilate's judgment-hall. The guide who shows 
it will inform you, with a grave face, that, in places, they are blued 
or stained by the sweat of his sacred feet. Penitents only are 
permitted to ascend these steps, and on their knees. They have 
actually been worn by the attrition of numberless pilgrims, so that 
the Pope has caused them to be covered with wood. 

Luther, it will be remembered, when in Rome, wishing to obtain 
an indulgence, promised by the Pope to any who should ascend on 
their knees this celebrated staircase, was slowly climbing the steps, 
which they told him had been miraculously transported from J eru- 
salem to Rome. But while he was going through this merito- 
rious service, he thought he heard a voice, like thunder, speak from 
the depths of his heart — " The just shall live by faith." "These 
words," says Merle D'Aubigne, " which already on two occasions 
had struck upon his ear as the voice of an angel of God, resounded 
instantaneously and powerfully within him. He started up in ter- 
ror on the steps up which he had been crawling ; he was horrified 
at himself; and, struck with shame for the degradation to which 
superstition had debased him, he fled from the scene of his folly. 
This powerful text had a mysterious influence on the life of Luther. 
It was a creative word for the Reformer and for the Reformation. 
It was by means of that word that God said : ' Let there be light, 
and there was light.' " 

There is a less sacred ascent, by which strangers may gain the 
top of the stairs. Here we find a sacred shrine, and a dark-look- 
ing image of Christ, fronting the entrance from below. Looking 
into the dimly lighted Sancta Sanctorum, as it is called, we read : 
" N~on est in Toto Sanctior Orbe Locus ;" There is not in the 
world a holier place. So sacred is it, that females are not permit- 
ted to enter ! In this place are gathered (so say the guides) a 



ITALY. 3 S3 

number of most precious relics — a bottle of the Virgin Mother's 
milk — an exact likeness of Jesus, painted by the Evangelist Luke, 
and a feather from the wing of the angel Gabriel. Luke, by the 
way, seems to have been the great painter of the early church. 
Rome possesses other pictures ascribed to him : at Bologna, a cel- 
ebrated portrait of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by filagree work, 
is exhibited as the production of his pencil ! One has to visit Italy, 
and especially Rome, to satisfy himself that the friar's wondrous 
catalogue, poured into the ear of the dreaming Boccaccio, was not, 
after all, such an extravagant fiction ! 

" A ray, imprimis, of the star that shone 
To the wise men, a vial full of sounds, 
The musical chimes of the great bells that hung 
In Solomon's temple, and though last not least, 
A feather from the angel Gabriel's wing, 
Dropt in the Virgin's chamber." 

In the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St. Mary the Greater, 
the grand object of papal adoration is the cradle of the infant Jesus, 
which is made the occasion of a solemn religious service on Christ- 
mas-eve. But the most popular idol in Rome is the Santissimo 
Bambino — the most Holy Baby ; a miraculous wooden image in 
the little church which goes by the name of Ara Cceli. Some say 
that it fell from heaven, like the image of Jupiter, or the sacred 
stone of Mecca. But others, better informed, affirm that it was 
carved by a Franciscan monk in Jerusalem, from wood- cut on the 
Mount of Olives, as a representation of the infant Savior ! Having 
no paint to color the image, and St. Luke not being at hand, he 
had recourse to prayer, in which he spent the whole night, and in 
the morning found that the little image had miraculously become 
the color of flesh ! This image is exhibited, for adoration, in a 
presipio (case or closet) prepared for it in the convent of the Ara 
Cceli, from the feast of the Nativity to that of the Epiphany. It 
is regarded as a sovereign preservative against all dangers of child- 
birth ; and, indeed, is peculiarly useful in all cases of disease. It 
has been stated, on good authority, that the Bambino receives 
more and better fees than all the medical men of Rome. A stage- 
coach, as fine as that of a cardinal's, is kept for its transportation 
from patient to patient. It is ordinarily accompanied, in its visits, 
by some priests in full canonicals. Thus attended, the Bambino is 
conveyed through the streets at a slow and stately rate, a rapid 
motion being regarded as inconsistent with the dignity of the im- 
age. When it passes, every head is uncovered and every knee 
bent. Other images may pass, and some heads are bared ; the 
Pope himself may pass and receive only a salutation ; nay, the con- 



384 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



secrated Host, the very body and blood of Christ, may go by, and 
some may kneel, while others take off their hats ; but if the Bam- 
bino passes, every one is uncovered or prostrate on the ground, 
whatever be the state of the streets. 

But the crowning glory of the Bambino occurs on the festival 
of the Epiphany, when it is brought to the Capitol, or some such 
place, and, after a crash of cannon and martial music, it is raised by 
the hands of some distinguished priest, and the vast multitude fall 
prostrate in adoration before it, as if it were filled with all the full- 
ness of the Godhead ! 

In this sacred city of Rome resides the Pope, the apex of the 
Catholic cone, the head of the Church, the vicar of God, the true 
successor of St. Peter, who carries the sword of a kingdom on 
earth, and the keys of a kingdom in heaven ; the representative of 
the Son of God, and the fountain of all gracious influences to his 
militant flock — the embodiment, therefore, of all humility and meek- 
ness, of all holiness and peace ! You may see him, on some grand 
holiday, riding in a magnificent coach, which cost some twelve or 
fifteen thousand dollars, drawn by six superb black horses, at- 
tended by some four or half a dozen lackeys with appropriate 
costumes. He himself is dressed in gorgeous robes of silk, with 
a crown or tiara of gold upon his head, and in his hand, or that 
of a high officer who precedes him, a staff or crosier of gems and 
gold. 

Or you may see him about Christmas, or Corpus Domini, as 
they call it, borne into St. Peter's Church on the shoulders of 
men, seated in his chair of state, with his eyes closed, and making 
continually, as he passes along, the sign of the cross with the two 
forefingers of his right hand. Two pole-bearers, with splendid 
fans of ostrich feathers fixed upon the tops of their poles, precede 
him with a solemn and reverent air. Behind him are the cardi- 
nals, in red stockings, and long, flowing robes of scarlet silk cov- 
ered with surplices of the richest lace ; bishops in purple robes, 
and their attendants in all the colors of the rainbow ; nobles and 
guards, soldiers and priests, with swords and spears, true crosses, 
images of saints, and other emblems ; a motley group of monks, 
gray, white, and black ; and, among other strange devices, eight 
huge tents, supported by men, emblematical of the eight basilicas, 
or most eminent churches of Rome ! 

At last the Pope is seated in state under the grand altar, and 
after various services the Host is elevated — bells toll, cannons roar, 
and the vast multitude are prostrate on the floor. If you have 
time and patience to remain two or three hours, you will see all 
sorts of changes, maneuvers, and genuflexions, the forty cardinals 



ITALY. 385 

swimming around with their huge trains, proceeding with the 
utmost gravity, in single file, to kiss the Pope's hand, and some 
forty or fifty bishops and other clergy following them to kiss the 
cross upon his slipper, and many others, not admitted to this 
high honor, kneeling at a respectful distance, waiting for his bene- 
diction. During this time your head will almost reel with the 
crossings and counter-crossings, the kneelings and bendings, the 
covering and uncovering of heads, the lifting and opening of 
robes, the pulling off or putting on of vestments, the readings 
from different books, all in Latin, the long and monotonous chant- 
ings, the embracings of cardinals, the runnings to and fro of the 
assistants, altar boys and others, and the wavings of censers with 
burning incense, now to God, now to the Pope, now to the sacred 
books and vestments, now to St. Peter, and now to the Holy 
Virgin and the twelve apostles. " What strange idea of the Deity," 
says Mathews, describing a similar service in the private chapel 
of the Pope, on Monte Cavallo, "must have first suggested this 
homage of postures and prostrations ! If a Chinese had been 
present, he might well have concluded that the Pope was the god 
of this strange worship ; and, indeed, I doubt whether the thoughts 
of many on this occasion were elevated nearer to heaven than the 
Popedom." 

Connected with the Papal Church there are in Rome forty car- 
dinals, more or less, quite a number of prelates, archbishops and 
bishops, many of them noblemen by birth, and all of them noble- 
men by station. The cardinals live in palaces, and ride about in 
superb coaches, with well-dressed attendants. .Some of them are 
learned men — some of them, we hope, are pious, according to 
their views. That the most of them are courtiers and politicians, 
ambitious and intriguing, may be doubted any where else, but cer- 
tainly not in Rome. But let that pass ; such as they are, they 
form a conclave for the government of the Papal Church, and give 
law to Christendom. 

In addition to these, there are in Rome from fifteen to sixteen 
hundred secular clergy or priests ; monks, from two to three 
thousand ; nuns, from fourteen to fifteen hundred ; in all, from five 
to six thousand ecclesiastics, besides innumerable clerical visitors, 
professors, students, &c, in a population of little more than a 
hundred and fifty thousand. 

Looking at the ecclesiastical machinery alone, and admitting its 
high pretensions to divine authority, one would conclude that 
Rome must be the holiest place on earth. Well then, is it such ? 
Let its swarming beggars, its poverty-stricken populace, its un- 
educated children, its secret infidelity, its boundless superstition, 

17 



386 



THE WOELD WE LIVE IS. 



its covert treason, its gloomy discontent, its deep licentiousness, 
answer the question. 

Instead of traveling to Naples by land, let us go down to the 
coast, and so reach it by sea. Gliding along the shores of the 




Mediterranean, after a pleasant sail from Civita Vecchia, at last 
we catch a glimpse of Vesuvius, covered with a dense mass of 
clouds. Making a fine curve, we pass the rocky promontories of 



ITALY. 387 

Torrento and Miseno, and enter the bay of Naples, which opens 
like a vast amphitheater, bounded by the city, and the long ranges 
of volcanic mountains, which all but encircle it with their black- 
ened summits. Unfortunately it begins to rain, and the whole 
surrounding region is enveloped in misty vapor ; a grievous dis- 
appointment to those who, for days, have been eagerly anticipating 
one of the most beautiful sights in the world. But we keep our 
station on the deck of the steamer, and wait patiently till it clears 
away a little, and then strain our eyes to discover the various 
points of interest in this celebrated locality. The clouds, however, 
still hover over the city, and hang, like a hoary crown, upon the 
head of Mount Vesuvius. A few moments and our highest wishes 
are gratified ; gratified all the more for being disappointed at first. 
The clouds suddenly break away, and the sun shines out in full- 
orbed splendor. The city, with its palaces and castles, its long 
ranges of stuccoed houses and magnificent churches, lying upon 
the acclivif^, and crowning the summits of the hill ; the wide 
sweeping bay, with its barges, boats, and steamers, sparkling in 
the sunlight ; Mount Vesuvius, towering to the sky, and still cov- 
ered with its canopy of clouds ; the long ranges of mountain 
hights sweeping to the right ; — all are flooded with golden radiance, 
and appear, to our delighted vision, like scenes of fairy-land. 
" Beautiful ! surpassingly beautiful !" exclaims one of our travel- 
ing companions, to which we give a ready and enthusiastic re- 
sponse. The city of Naples lies upon the margin of the bay, in 
the form of a semicircle, and gradually spreads itself upon the 
acclivity behind, crowned by the Castle of St. Elmo, which over- 
looks the whole. The houses and streets rise, the one above the 
other, interspersed with gardens and trees. Many of the build- 
ings are large and elegant. The palace on one of the hights, 
and the Nuovo Castello, with various other buildings in a castel- 
lated form, are exceedingly striking and picturesque, as seen from 
the bay, and give to the whole city a most imposing and graceful 
aspect. 

The houses are lofty, with innumerable balustrades and other 
prominences, crowned with hanging gardens filled with flow- 
ers. Some of them are immense piles ; old palaces, perhaps, 
with great gateways and quadrangular courts. This is the 
form of most of the hotels and of the larger dwelling-houses, 
not only here, but throughout Italy, and to some extent in 
France. They are huge lumbering affairs, containing a large 
open court in the center, entered by an arched gateway from 
the street. At each of these a porter is stationed, and not 
unfrequently a soldier with a musket on his shoulder. The 



388 THE WOULD WE LIVE IN. 



chambers are large and airy, with iron bedsteads, smooth oaken 
or tile floors, in some cases of mosaic, scoured clean and bright, 
and with many little conveniences peculiar to the country. 

Naples contains a population of not less than three hundred 
and sixty thousand inhabitants, a circumstance which accounts for 
the immense crowds in the streets, and the perfect Babel of noises 
which every where greet the ear. It is surrounded by places and 
objects of great interest, such as the grotto of Posilipo, Virgil's 
tomb, Paestum, with its ruins of Grecian architecture, Baia3, and 
the scenes described in the sixth book of Virgil's ^Eneid, Vesuvius, 
the disentombed cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, the islands 
of Ischia and Procida, the Campagna Felice, and many beautiful 
villages which unite, by their classic associations, the hoary past 
vvith the youthful present. Besides, the whole neighboring coun- 
try abounds in the richest and most varied sylvan scenery, while 
the climate and sky are among the loveliest in the world, vindi- 
cating, to some extent, the extravagant expression of flhe Neapoli- 
tans — Visit Naples, and die ! 

Naples existed in the times of the Greeks, by whom it was 
called Proserpina, on account of the beauty of the situation, and 
subsequently Neapolis, as a completely new city was built upon 
the site of the old. Subsequently possessed by the Romans, it 
continued to increase in wealth and population. Passing succes- 
sively under Provencal, Spanish, and Austrian dominion, it has 
seen many changes, undergone many revolutions. It boasts the 
possession of the finest bay, and one of the largest collections of 
classical antiquities in the world, a site of unrivaled beauty, and 
a population of great quickness and versatility, though not of high 
character and sterling worth. The government, which embraces 
that of the two Sicilies, containing a population of about eight 
millions, is despotic and badly administered, and the whole land, 
city and country, swarms with priests, monks, and beggars. There 
is no country in the world perhaps, except Spain, more completely 
priest-ridden, and none in Avhich is found such a superabundance 
of idle and worthless inhabitants. Yet the people generally, who 
have Grecian and Moorish blood in their veins, are remarkably 
vivacious and cheerful, live upon a trifle, and probably enjoy a 
fair amount of " material" happiness. It is a land of volcanoes 
and earthquakes, a fervid and generous clime, in which human 
nature is apt to become quick and passionate, improvident and 
wild. Hence the changes in their condition have often been as 
fierce and startling as the eruptions of Etna or Vesuvius. At 
times yielding quietly and passively to the most galling despotism, 
and then startling the world with sudden and bloody revolutions ; 



ITALY. 389 

now shouting for freedom, and anon making the welkin ring with 
vivas for kingly thrall. Immersed in sensuality, yet possessed of 
a noble nature, there is no extravagance of good or bad which 
they may not perpetrate. The language of Goldsmith is as ap- 
plicable now as it was fifty years ago : 

" For small the blisa that sense alone bestows, 
And sensual bliss is all the nation knows. 
In florid beauty groves and fields appear, 
Man seems the only growth that dwindles here ; 
Contrasted faults through all his manners reign ; 
Though poor, luxurious, though submissive, vain ; 
Though grave, yet trifling ; zealous, yet untrue ; 
And e'en in penance planning sins anew." 

It is on this ground that we are to explain the sudden and ter- 
rible reaction which followed the late revolution, reminding us of 
the days of Masienello and the Sicilian Vespers. Naples, at last, 
appeared on the point of attaining freedom. The feeble but crafty 
Bourbon, now occupying the throne, seemed fairly subdued ; a 
constitution, with elements of liberty, though sadly deficient in 
some of its provisions, was proclaimed, and - the whole land re- 
joiced in her opening prospects. But instantly the heavens are 
covered with blackness, the earth shakes, the lightning flashes, 
and the moral Vesuvius of Naples bursts, in flaming fires, upon 
the terrified vision. A difficulty occurs between the new Con- 
sulta or Parliament and his Majesty, respecting the form of the 
oath to be taken, in support of the constitution and the king. 
The latter insists upon his rights, and the former demurs. The 
troops are called out ; barricades are erected. The king seems to 
yield, but fills the squares and castles with Swiss mercenaries, and 
excites the populace to revolt against the constitution. A musket 
is fired by accident from the ranks of the National Guard, who, 
thinking they are betrayed, immediately commence firing. The 
Swiss retaliate with a murderous fire, and the artillery pour grape 
into the barricades. For a moment the lazaroni appear disposed 
to side with the National Guard ; but, induced by the hope of 
pillage, take part with the troops, break open for them shops and 
houses, and excite them, with cries of "Long live the king," to 
ihe most brutal excesses. Plunging into palaces and private 
dwellings, these barbarians commit the most fearful atrocities ; 
children are dashed from the windows, women are violated, 
fathers, mothers, infants, old men and maidens are cruelly butch- 
ered in each other's arms ; others are led naked to the slaughter, 
amid the jeers and insults of the mob and the soldiery, and com- 
pelled to cry vivas for the king with their dying breath. The 



390 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



Royal Guard assassinate two sons of the Marquis Yassatore, in 
the palace of their father, who immediately goes stark mad, and 
his palace is enveloped in flames. Two palaces, one the beauti- 
ful palace of Gravina, are burned. Nearly all the National 
Guards are cut to pieces, and the survivors are immediately taken 
and shot, by order of the king. Multitudes, known to entertain 
liberal opinions, are taken from their houses and executed without 
a trial. After the struggle, all who are taken with arms in their 
hands are instantly shot, and many others are carried, bound 
hand and foot, on board a ship made a temporary prison, and 
others are thrown into the dungeons and jails of the city. The 
tri-color every where is torn down, the white Bourbonie flag 
placed in its stead, and Naples subjected to strict martial law. 

Thus the old regime returns ; the people submit, and the Jesu- 
its rejoice. 

Naples literally swarms with priests. It is said that it contains 
at least five thousand ecclesiastics of every kind ; others put them 
at ten thousand, including the nuns and novitiates. Indeed, 
priests and soldiers seem to be the controlling powers of the 
place. The lawyers number four thousand, and are a wealthy 
and highly influential class, having peculiar privileges, and in con- 
sequence of the extreme length of lawsuits, holding in their hands 
a large portion of the real estate. The nobles are opulent, and 
fond of display ; and the king is as complete a despot as ever sat 
upon the throne. But it is the priests and friars especially which 
attract the attention of a traveler, for you cannot take a walk of 
half an hour in any of the principal streets of the city, without 
meeting forty or fifty of them in their peculiar costume. Multi- 
tudes of friars, in their brown gowns and black cowls, with gir- 
dled waists and sandaled feet, may be seen gliding along the 
streets, particularly in the morning, and collecting from the shops 
and stalls their daily revenue of charity, in the shape of eatables, 
money, and other things. Some of the priests are good-looking 
men. The higher ecclesiastics, especially, have quite a respecta- 
ble appearance. A very few look ascetic. Some are evidently 
good-natured, easy, jolly souls, who belong rather to the race of 
King Cole, than of Saint Anthony ; while the great mass of the 
lower clergy are gross-looking, lazy, good-for-nothing fellows, 
who are as much lazaroni and beggars as any of the lowest of 
the rabble. 

But there are some good institutions in Naples, and the clergy, 
and particularly the nuns, are not without their use. Several hos- 
pitals for the poor and sick are connected with the monasteries, 
and something is done for the education of orphan children. A 



ITALY. 391 

common-school system, of course, there is none ; and not one-half 
of all the people can read or write. The ignorance of the mass is 
immense ; and we cannot, therefore, expect them to be very reli- 
gious or virtuous. It is a wonder, perhaps, they are not worse. 
One thing, at least, is in their favor — they are not intemperate. 
The perfection of the climate, and the vivacious character of the 
people, supply the place of intoxicating drinks, or they have no 
money to procure them. Generally speaking, they are good-na- 
tured, and by no means so suspicious and revengeful as they have 
been represented. They love music and shows, and live much in 
the open air. The great body of them have not, and cannot have 
any just conception of what Christianity is. 

"Pietro, what do you worship when you go to church ?" 
" San Gennaro and the Holy Virgin, signor !" 
" And of all things in the world what do you love the best ?" 
" To dance the Tarantula, and eat maccaroni." 
"Well, but you love the service of religion, don't you?" 
" yes, signor ; but we poor fellows don't know much about 
it; the priests, you know, manage all that." 

This is about the amount of the religion of the common people. 
The educated classes are mostly indifferent or skeptical. But 
skepticism is a little inconvenient at times, and so it is often kept 
in the background. The Neapolitans of the cafH — those at least 
who have seen the world, and pretend to any enlargement of 
mind — will sometimes talk freely with strangers of the -corruptions 
of their government and religion, but much of all this is mere 
smoke, and comes to nothing. The reaction from the late revo- 
lution, and the universal presence of spies and informers, now seal 
all lips. 



392 THE WOULD WE LIVE IN". 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



GREECE. 

A comparatively small and rocky countiy, yet central and 
beautiful, Greece, in former days, commanded the admiration of 
the civilized world. Her warriors and statesmen, her painters, 
sculptors, poets, orators, and philosophers have left the impress 
of their genius upon all the nations of Christendom. As we glide 
over the Gulf of Lepanto, cast anchor in the Pirseus, gaze upon 
the sun-gilt hights of the Acropolis, wander amid the ruins of the 
Areopagus, the Parthenon, and the temple of Theseus, we feel as 
if we were transported far back among the lofty spirits of by-gone 
days, the Homers, the Platos, and the Pindars of a classic age. 

But except her ruins, Greece has few traces of her ancient 
glory. Here indeed you find the same clear, blue sky, the same 
brilliant atmosphere, the same rocky hights, whence a broad land- 
scape of hill and vale, undulating shore, and radiant sea greets the 
eye ; there, as of old, is Mount Hymettus, with its sunshine and 
bees, the winding Ilissus, the olive-grove of Academus, 

" Where the Attic bird 
Trills her thick warbled note the summer long ;" 

the same famous battle-fields, Marathon and Thermopylae, around 
which cluster the dreams of poetry, and the soft memories of 
other days ; and doubtless this is much, very much to a thought- 
ful mind, but Greece, the old, classic, heroic Greece, is gone, and 
we fear gone forever. 

" Yet are thy skies as blue, thy crags as wild ; 
Sweet are thy groves, and verdant are thy fields, 
Thine olive ripe as when Minerva smiled, 
And still his honied wealth Hymettus yields : 
There the blithe bee his fragrant fortress builds, 
The free-born wanderer of thy mountain air ; 
Apollo still thy long, long summer gilds, 
Still in his beam Mendelis marbles glare ; 
Art, Glory, Freedom fail, but Nature still is fair. 

Where'er we tread, 'tis haunted, holy ground ; 
No earth of thine is lost in vulgar mold, 
But one vast realm of wonder spreads around, 
And all the Muses' tales seem truly told. 
Till the sense aches with gazing to behold 



GEEECE. 



393 




IT 



GKEECE. 395 



The scenes our earliest dreams have dwelt upon ; 
Each hill and dale, each deepening glen and wold 
Defies the power which crush'd thy temples gone : 
A.ge shakes Athena's tower, but spares gray Marathon." 

TH modern Greeks indeed, though mingled with Slavonic 
races, are lineally descended from the ancient, and possess their 
external lineaments, and a few traits of their character. They are 
ingenious, elastic, and graceful. They possess, too, bravery and 
subtlety ; echoes of the high virtues of their ancestors. But they 
are false, fickle, and indolent, obviously a degenerate race, without 
lofty virtue and generous enterprise. The language they speak 
is a corruption of the classic Greek, and although they read the 
productions of their fathers, they make little or no attempt to 
imitate them. Indeed, an old, peculiar, heroic age once lost, can 
never be restored. Imitation, even of the ancients, is a confession 
of weakness ; and a nation, to be any thing, must develop its own 
peculiar resources. 

The Greeks generally are good-looking, having fine profiles, 
bright eyes, and a graceful carriage. Their dress is becoming and 
picturesque, consisting of gay colors, broidered with silk or gold. 
A red hat, or cap, with a long blue tassel, falls over the shoulders. 
They wear a sash and a morocco girdle, in which are carried a 
knife, powder-flask, pistols, richly ornamented ; gaiters covering 
the leg to the knee, giving elasticity to the step ; scarlet slippers, 
ending in a sharp point, complete their costume. The dress 
among the poorer classes is not always as elaborate as this, but 
consists chiefly of a colored cap, red or blue vest, and wide trow- 
sers. 

The large cities of Greece, or what were once large cities, are 
little better than good-sized villages. They have few substantial 
or elegant buildings. Athens itself does not contain twenty really 
elegant mansions. King Otho's palace is clumsily built. The 
only things beautiful here are the sunny landscapes, the ruins of 
the ancient city, the Parthenon, the Propylea, the temple of 
Theseus, the remains of the Areopagus, &c. Corinth is a pleas- 
ant place, though vastly inferior to the splendid city of ancient 
times. 

The common people, and even those of the middle classes, live 
in poorly built houses, often without windows and separate apart- 
ments. The furniture consists of wooden benches, a rickety ta- 
ble, some broken knives and forks, a large earthen vessel, &c. 
The Greek peasant does not know what a bed is ; he sleeps on 
the ground, wrapped in a cloak which he wears during the day. 
Their toilet demands no great care. They make clean the outside 



386 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



of the cup and the platter, and let the rest take care of itself. 
The children are suspended in leathern bands attached to the 
walls. Their houses are ill-arranged, and have no chimneys. Soap 
is a thing almost unknown in domestic life. Filth and fleas 
abound, nay, superabound. 

Some of the old aristocratic families affect a degree of splendor 
and show, and some of them, by visiting France, Germany, and 
England, acquire considerable knowledge and refinement. Sev- 
eral of the teachers in the gymnasia and the university are learned 
and accomplished men. As a whole, the people are improving 
somewhat. Intelligence and enterprise are making progress 
among them. 

The territory of Greece proper is much curtailed. Part of it 
is. yet under the dominion of the Turk. Part of it, the Ionian 
Islands, is virtually under the dominion of England. Its bounda- 
ries, its civil and its political state, all were arranged by the great 
European powers. King Otho, a well-meaning and well-educated 
Bavarian prince, was given them as king. At first he was very 
unpopular, because he brought his German friends and retainers 
with him, upon whom he bestowed all the honors and offices of 
state. This caused a revolution — a peaceful one, it is true — in 
consequence of which all these foreigners were removed. Otho 
submitted with a pretty good grace, and he now succeeds better. 
The queen, who is intelligent and amiable, is quite popular. 

Greece is divided into three political parties, the English, the 
French, the Russian. The second of these, the French, or, as it 
ought now to be called, the native, aims at the elevation of the 
country, and is said to be the most influential. The Russian is 
favored by the priests of the Greek faith, who regard the Empe- 
ror Nicholas as the father and defender of their church, and by 
the more ignorant among the common people. The intelligent 
and patriotic Greeks favor the idea of national elevation and in- 
dependence, which would be lost under Russian domination. 

The morals of the country, as all travelers confess, are low. 
Robberies are quite frequent. Lying is confessed, even by the 
natives, to be a national peculiarity. Their religion, so far as they 
profess it, is formal and superstitious ; bigoted, too, and intolerant, 
especially among the priests and the lower orders. The more 
educated classes are inclined to be tolerant. Convents, some of 
them rich, abound. The monks are lazy, and given to good eating 
and drinking, which they seem to regard as the summum bonum 
of human life. This, and the routine of puerile ceremonies, fill 
up their days. The monastery of Megaspelion has vast revenues, 
and in its cellars no less than from 40,000 to 50,000 bottles of 



GREECE. 



397 




GEEECE. 399 



wine ! A recent traveler asked one of the fathers what they did 
with so much wine ; but he only shrugged his shoulders and 
laughed. Every year, at the approach of Easter, confession is 
practiced, but in a peculiar way. The priest goes into families ; 
he listens to what each individual thinks proper to confess to him ; 
then he fixes the price of this according to a tariff; — such a sum 
for lying ; so much for robbery, and so forth. The following, 
from an intelligent traveler, is a description of a marriage cere- 
mony : 

" It was performed in an Athenian parlor. The relatives and 
friends stood around the bride and bridegroom. A flask of wine, 
a loaf of bread, a piece of cloth, and two gilt-paper crowns were 
placed upon a table. The persons officiating were two papas, a 
deacon, and a singing child. The priests put on their robes and 
opened the books. While they read, sometimes the liturgy, some- 
times the gospels or epistles, they fit or snuffed the torches. 
Each carried a lighted candle. The two papas read one after the 
other, and at certain intervals made the sign of the cross, which 
was repeated by the attendants ; the deacon and singing child 
uttering a sort of shout. The whole ceremony was performed 
very rapidly, and with no apparent solemnity. The bride and 
bridegroom stood motionless. Then a priest took the marriage 
rings, put them on the gospels to consecrate them, and held them 
up repeatedly before the face of the bride and bridegroom, making 
many signs of the cross. Then he put the rings upon their fingers. 
Next he took the gilt-paper crowns, placed them also on the gos- 
pels, put them on the head of the bride and bridegroom ; reciting 
all the while the liturgy in a monotonous voice. The priest 
poured out wine in a glass, dipped in it two pieces of bread, gave 
them to the newly married pair, and spread over them a piece of 
cloth. The bridegroom, the bride, the godfather (for there is a 
godfather in marriages as well as in baptisms), the father and the 
mother of the bride made four turns round the table. Lastly, the 
priest held the Bible for the married pair to kiss. 

" These complicated ceremonies once had probably a symbolical 
meaning. Now they are mere idle forms. Bursts of laughter 
sometimes interrupt the marriage celebration, which has no longer 
any seriousness or solemnity." 

With all their faults, the Greeks have some noble traits. They 
despise meanness, cherish a spirit of dignity and independence, 
and long for the regeneration of their country. Some of their 
public men, John Coletti, for example, have exhibited the purest 
patriotism. The young men who are preparing in the university 
for active life are said to give high promise of excellence. It is a 



400 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



curious fact that public executioners cannot be found among the 
Greeks. The government undertook to bring such functionaries 
from abroad ; but they were secretly murdered as soon as they 
arrived. At last, some years ago, two inhabitants of Corfu, hav- 
ing been condemned to capital punishment, were offered pardon 
if they would consent to be public executioners. They consented, 
but, when set at liberty, they fled. Having been seized again by 
the police, they said, " Let us go ! do you wish to have execu- 
tioners among the Greeks?" But they were led back to Patras 
in spite of their entreaties. It is these unhappy persons who, 
after having killed human beings from ferocity, kill them now 
from duty. 

One of the noblest distinctions of modern Greece is her generous 
effort to establish a system of public instruction, adequate to the 
wants of the people. This has been accomplished. Every where 
common schools and gymnasia have been founded, crowned by a 
superior and well-endowed university in the city of Athens. Some 
of the schools established by missionaries in the city of Athens 
have already accomplished much good. Dr. King and the Rev. 
Mr. Hill, both from the United States, have nobly devoted their 
energies in this direction. Mr. De Vere, in his "Picturesque 
Sketches," speaks highly of the school established by Mr. Hill. 
It has 700 pupils, taken from every class of society. " The poorer 
classes were gratuitously instructed in reading, writing, and arith- 
metic, and the girls in needlework likewise. The progress which 
the children made was very remarkable ; but what particularly 
pleased me was that air of bright alertness, and good-humored 
energy, which belonged to them, and which made every task ap- 
pear a pleasure. The greatest punishment which can be inflicted 
on an Athenian child is exclusion from school, though but for a 
day. About seventy of the children belonged to the higher 
classes, and were instructed in music, drawing, the modern lan- 
guages, the ancient Greek, and geography. Most of them were, 
at the moment, reading Herodotus and Homer. I have never 
seen children approaching them in beauty, and was much struck 
by their Oriental cast of countenance, their dark complexions, 
their flashing eyes, and that expression, at once apprehensive and 
meditative, which is so much more remarkable in children than in 
those of a mature age. 

" The singularity of the spectacle was increased by the mingled 
character of enjoyment and decorum that belonged to it. The 
dresses of the children, many of which were of the national cos- 
tume, looked as spotless as their pale radiant faces, and as care- 
fully arranged as their hair, which was almost always dark, and 



GKEECE. 401 



glistening in its heavy masses. Their gestures were eager at once 
and graceful, and their demeanor was full of reverence. Never 
have I seen such brows, and such nobly shaped heads. These 
are, perhaps, the highest characteristics of Greek beauty ; but 
they are especially observable in children, and give them a certain 
rapt and inspired air. As I walked among them, I could hardly 
help asking, ' Which is to be the future Pindar ? That girl, does 
she come from Tanagra : does she not boast that Thermodon is 
clearer than Ilissus ; and is not her name Corinna ?' " 

This is enthusiastic, but pleasant, and comes upon us like a 
gleam of sunshine from a distant sky. Greece may yet rise in 
purity and power. Her position, between the Asiatic and Euro- 
pean continents, renders such a destiny of inconceivable conse- 
quence to the whole civilized world. Her extinction or degradation 
would be an immense calamity. What she wants is a free Bible, 
a free church, and a free press. 



402 



THE WOELD WE LIVE LN". 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



ASIA. 




Region of mystery, of " havoc, and splendor ;" fountain of na- 
tions, whence all of us have sprung ; source of religion, of philos- 
ophy, and the arts, — Asia lies before us, vast and shadowy, and, 
to some extent, repulsive ; for Asia, with all her grandeur, is old, 
decrepit, and superstitious. The vigor of her early prime is lost. 
Her purity, freshness, and love are withered. A large proportion 
of her people are yet in a barbarous or semi -barbarous state. 
Others have fallen from their original civilization, and only one or 
two can claim any advancement in knowledge and refinement. 
Most of them are fixed, like mummies, in immovable forms. Sev- 
eral are feeble and effeminate, debased by indolence and licentious- 
ness ; and the only ones that are really possessed of any thing 



ASIA. 403 

like strength and capacity are the wilder tribes of the deserts and 
mountains. And yet how interesting and wonderful is Asia, 
"elder bom of God," mother of empires, languages, and religions, 
land of heroes and martyrs, of prophets and apostles ! Here 
smiled the first Eden, where Jehovah walked in the cool of the 
day. Here Menu dreamed and Moses uttered oracles of wisdom. 
Here angels visited the earth on errands of mercy ; and here, es- 
pecially, walked, in majesty and meekness, the Son of God, the 
Savior of the world. 

The resources and population of Asia are immense ; but, except 
from the inroads of Europeans, Asia is stationary. Religion, sci- 
ence, the arts, and usages of society, all are at a stand, or falling 
into decay. Europe, indeed, is repaying, to some extent, what 
she originally received from Asia. Her missions and schools, her 
Bibles and books are beginning to be felt ; but whether Asia can 
ever be resuscitated, except by the infusion of a new and foreign 
life, has been seriously questioned. Great changes, doubtless, are 
going on in Hindostan and in China. Brahminism is old and ready 
to perish. Buddhism is declining rapidly. The Crescent every 
where pales before the Cross, Indeed, Mohammedanism is old 
and lifeless. It inspires no enthusiasm, awakens no energy, kindles 
no zeal. Judaism is all but extinct. In a word, all the old forms 
of religion and civilization have lost their power. Europe, with 
its religions and forms of civilization, every where is gaining ground, 
and changing the aspects of society. In Hindostan alone are eighty 
thousand nominal Christians, as also many thousands, born in the 
Brahminic faith, who have renounced all its peculiarities but the 
name. After all, the people of Asia make little or no progress 
themselves. If they change, in their views and institutions, it is 
under European influence. England, Russia, France, slowly ad- 
vance eastward, by their language, their literature, their religion, 
their physical powers, their science, their arts, especially the arts 
of industry, their government and military force ; and the native 
tribes give way. But can Europe, or will Europe occupy Asia ? 
The problem is a great one, and cannot be solved here. We 
simply suggest a few considerations to indicate the position of Asia, 
and its relations to the rest of the world. 

All the forms of society may be seen in Asia, from the savage 
state of the nomadic or wandering hordes to the most effeminate 
luxury. Freedom, founded on law and the moral and intellectual 
cultivation of man, alone is wanting. This results from the ab- 
sence of a pure faith. Priests and conquerors, in whom the selfish 
and merely human elements predominate, have long decided the 
political character of the East. Asia, stationary as she is in opin- 



404 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



ions, forms, and usages, has undergone innumerable physical rev- 
olutions. It has been subject, at different times, to the Assyrians, 
the Medes, Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, Syrians, Parthians, Ara- 
bians, Mongols, Tartars, Seljooks, Turks, Affghans, &c. Now it 
is controlled mainly by Russia and England. Its commerce is 
chiefly in the hands of Europeans. Slavery exists extensively 
in this continent. The mind, especially, is enslaved. It knows 
little or nothing of the freedom and vigor of the West. Woman 
is regarded as the servant and even the slave of man. Nowhere 
among the nations and tribes of this region, does she hold the 
station designed for her by nature and Christianity. The prevail- 
ing governments are despotic ; hence their rigid etiquette, their 
fatalism, and indolence, combined with superstition, cruelty, and 
•lust. Some of the wilder tribes, indeed, have an imperfect repub- 
licanism, combined with patriarchal forms of government. The 
astronomy and astrology, poetry, theology, morals, laws, and the 
rude empirical medicine of the Asiatics are mostly confined to the 
priests, and united with deeply rooted superstition, which leads 
even to infanticide, to self-sacrifice in the flames, and other forms 
of murder. Common education is unknown in Asia. The .people, 
with few exceptions, are ignorant and debased. " The civil, po- 
litical, and religious condition of the Asiatics proves, that where 
the free development of the higher powers of man is subject to 
the restraints of castes, and to the tyranny of priests and despots, 
and where the adherence to established forms has become a matter 
of faith, law, and habit, the character of society must degenerate, 
and the energies of man become palsied. Hence the Asiatic, not- 
withstanding: the richness of his imagination, never attained the 
conception of ideal beauty, like the free Greek ; and, for the same 
reason, the European, whose mental improvement and social ac- 
tivity have been unimpeded, has shaken off the control which the 
East formerly exercised over the West, and has obtained dominion 
over the coasts and territories of his old lord and master. Greece 
led the way, and after having transformed the obscure symbols of 
the East to shapes of ideal beauty, shook off the spiritual fetters 
of priests and oracles, and, at the same time, the temporal yoke 
which the Persian, Darius, had prepared for Athens and Sparta. 
After a struggle of fifty years the triumphs of Cimon (in 449 B. C.) 
first enabled Europe to prescribe laws to the East. Grecian 
civilization then spread over the whole of Western Asia to India, 
and even the military despotism which succeeded has not been 
able to extinguish that light entirely. In later times the Romans 
and Parthians fought for the possession of the Euphrates, and the 
Persians, under the Sassanides, attempted to tear the dominion of 



ASIA. 405 

the world from the hand of Rome. Since that period Asia has 
four times taken up arms against Europe. The nations of upper 
Asia, driven from the frontiers of China to the Irtish, crowded 
upon the West. Huns, Avari, Bulgarians, and Magyars succes- 
sively issued from the Caucasian gates, and from the wilderness 
of the Ural, to subdue Europe ; besides those latter hordes which 
were mingled and confounded with each other in Southern Russia 
and on the Danube. But the rude power of Attila, and of the 
grandsons of Arpat, was broken in conflict with the Germans. 
Next the Arabians attacked Constantinople, Italy, and France ; 
but their fanatical impetuosity was checked by Charles Martel in 
732, and the chivalrous valor of the Gothic Christians rescued the 
peninsula within the Pyrenees. The West then armed itself 
against the East to recover the holy sepulcher from the Sultan 
of the Seljooks, and Christian Europe became better acquainted 
with Asia ; but the sword alone cannot conquer a continent. 
Upper Asia sent again, under the Mongol, Temudschin (Gen- 
ghis Khan), her mounted hordes over the world. Again the 
Germans stayed the destroying flood near Liegnitz. Finally, the 
Tartars and Ottoman Turks invaded Europe. In 1453 they took 
the Bosphorus and Greece from the feeble hands of the Eastern 
Romans. In succeeding times Europe has been defended against 
Asia, on this side, by Germany." But Asia no longer advances 
and attacks. Europe alone is aggressive and prosperous. Russia 
has possession of Northern Asia, while England controls Central 
and Eastern Asia. All Hindostan yields to her control, and even 
China and Burmah are compelled to acknowledge her supremacy. 
The population of Asia is variously estimated, from 300,000,000 
to 400,000,000, and even 600,000,000. They are of diverse races 
and colors, speaking a great variety of languages, and practicing a 
great variety of customs. They are usually divided into four 
races — the Caucasian, with fine forms and beautiful complexions, 
whence most of the Europeans have sprung ; the Mongolian, or 
Tartar race, including the Turks, Calmucks, Mongolians, and 
others ; the Malay race, inhabiting Southern Asia and the islands ; 
and the Ethiopian, or black race. If, however, they were to be 
classified with reference to color, they might be divided into 
white, yellow, and black, the two former including the great body 
of the people. The white races occupy the regions of Western 
Asia ; the yellow, shading into a deep olive, the rest of the Asiatic 
continent. In the white race, occasionally gliding into brown, 
would be included all the Caucasian tribes, the nations of Asiatic 
Turkey, Arabia, Kurdistan, Persia, Affghanistan, as also the 
Bucharians, Armenians, Georgians, Turcomans, Usbecks, Kirghis, 



406 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



some of the Hindoos, most of the inhabitants of Nepaul and of 
Ceylon, the Maldives, and some of the tribes of Asiatic Russia. 
The yellow race would comprehend the principal tribes of Asiatic 
Russia, the Calmucks, Mongolians, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, 
Assamese, Japanese. The Malays, whose complexion is a deep 
brown or olive, are a mixed race, with an Arabian tinge and cast 
of countenance. The blacks belong to Malacca, Ceylon, Ando- 
man, and Nicobar, scattered among other races. Of all these, 
the Mongolian race is the most numerous, and occupy some of the 
oldest and richest portions of Asia. 

The Asiatics again might be divided according to their religions, 
the principal of which are the Mohammedan, including nearly all 
the nations of Western Asia, and penetrating still further into the 
interior of the country, including the Malays and others, recog- 
nizing one God, and rejecting idolatry, but feeble, sensual, and 
narrow ; the religion of Lama, which is a literal man-worship, the 
Lama or God of this superstition being a man, adored, not as the 
representative of the Deity, but as the Deity himself, and prevail- 
ing over all the central and eastern portions of Northern Asia ; 
the religion of Brahma, a monstrous superstition, founded upon 
pantheism, and consisting of gorgeous and cruel rites, with a cer- 
tain air of vastness and grandeur, having its head-quarters at 
Benares, and confined chiefly to the Hindoos ; and Buddhism, which 
is a system of practical atheism, knowing nothing of the doctrine 
of the Supreme God and the immortality of the soul, and wor- 
shiping Bicdh, or Ouadama, an ancient sage, who, by a series of 
changes, at last arrived at Nighan, absorption or annihilation, for 
which all Buddhists long as the highest good. Buddhism prevails 
over the greater part of Asia beyond the Ganges, including China, 
Burmah, Siam, &c. This last is the religion of the greatest num- 
ber of the inhabitants, and exerts the widest influence in India. 
In addition to these, other forms of religious belief prevail to a 
limited extent in Asia. The Jews cling to the Mosaic ritual ; 
some of the Persians, including the Parsees of India, are fire or 
sun worshipers, after the doctrine of Zoroaster ; and many of the 
Russian Asiatics, including some of the Chinese, Mongols, and 
others, are addicted to Shamanism, the lowest form of idolatrous 
worship, conducted by the Shamans or priests, who are also con- 
jurors, physicians, &c, and adore " lords many, and gods many," 
in the forms of matter, with rude superstitions and abominable 
rites. The Armenians in Turke}', and the Nestorians in Persia, 
are ancient Christian sects sadly degenerated. 

Asia itself, which is four times larger than Europe, is generally 
divided into, 1st, Southern Asia, comprehending Natolia, Arme- 



ASIA. 407 

nia, Kurdistan, Syria, Arabia, Persia, Hindostan, Farther India, 
Siam, Malacca, Annam, Tonquin, Cochin China, Laos, Cambodia, 
China, Japan ; 2d, Middle or Upjyer Asia, containing Caucasus, 
Tartary, Bucharia, Mongolia, Tungousia ; 3d, Northern or Russian 
Asia, from 44° north latitude, containing Kasan, Astrachan, Oren- 
burg, Kuban, Kabarda, Georgia, Imereta, Siberia, with the Alpine 
regions of Dauria and Kamtschatka. The center of this conti- 
nent, probably the oldest ridge of land on the earth, is called Up- 
per Asia. Here the Bogdo, the majestic summit of the Altai 
mountains (literally high mountains), forms the central point of 
all the mountains of Asia. Upper Asia is distinguished for its 
remarkable and extensive plain, the most elevated on the surface 
of the earth ; the desert of Kobi, or Shamo, on the northern front- 
iers of China, dry and waste, visited alternately by scorching 
winds and chilling storms, even in summer, and affording, besides 
its deserts, only rivers and lakes, such as the Caspian, the lakes 
Aral and Bakal, and several lying among the mountains. From 
the northern and southern declivities of this region, less barren 
and bare, the first tribes of men set out in all directions, following 
the course of the rivers, north, east, and west. The sources of 
all the large rivers of Asia, which must be sought for in the 
mountains of Upper Asia, are little known. Vast ranges of 
country stretch in all directions, which still wait to be explored. 
Huge mountain ramparts, some of them, as in the Himmaleh 
range, rising to the height of from 25,000 to 2*7,000 feet, covered 
with verdure and trees far up their lofty sides, and on their sum- 
mits with eternal snow, inclose remote and secluded valleys, into 
which the foot of the European traveler has rarely, if ever, pene- 
trated. From the southern "Alpine girdle" descend the sacred 
rivers of the Hindoos, the Bramapootra, the Ganges, and the In- 
dus ; in the east, the rivers Irawaddy, Meinam, Lukian, and 
Mecon, or Cambodia ; and in the west, the Euphrates and the 
Tigris, taking their course to the south, and falling into the great 
gulfs of the Indian Ocean. 

" Nature has spread over Asia all the treasures of the earth, 
most abundantly in India ; her bounties are distributed by imper- 
ceptible gradations through all its three zones. In the torrid 
zone, whose genial warmth converts the juices of plants to spices, 
balsam, sugar, and coffee, with which Asia has enriched the West 
Indies ; the palms (sago, cocoa, date, and umbrella palms) reach 
a hight of 200 feet, and the white elephant attains a size surpass- 
ing that of all other quadrupeds. From hence the silk-worm was 
brought to Europe. This region conceals in its bosom the most 
b» Q .utiful diamonds, the finest gold, the best tin, &c, whilst the 



408 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



waves flow over the finest pearls and corals. The temperate zone 
has given to Europe the melon, the vine, the orange, and many 
of its most agreeable garden fruits, as well as the most productive 
farinaceous grasses, and the most charming flowers, and unites in 
its productions symmetry with richness, particularly in the west- 
ern regions. Here the oldest traditions place Paradise ; here he 
the enchanting Cashmere, and the garden of Damascus ; here 
blossoms the rose of Jericho, near the cedars of Lebanon. The 
eastern countries, in the same latitudes, possess the tea shrub and 
the genuine rhubarb. The camel, the Angora goat, the Thibetan 
sheep, the pheasant, and the horse, are natives of this zone. In 
the north blossoms the Alpine flora of Dauria, and from the icy 
soil grows the dwarf-like Siberian cedar, till at 70°, vegetation 
mostly ceases. Here lives the smallest of quadrupeds — the shrew 
mouse of the Yenisey. Sables, ermines, foxes, otters, &c, afford 
the finest fur. The mineral kingdom furnishes rich ores, rare 
precious stones, and remarkable fossil remains, as those of the 
mammoth, in high northern regions." 

Properly speaking, however, Asia as a whole has no temperate 
zone interposed between the hot and cold regions, giving a race 
of men between the savage hordes of the north and the effemi- 
nate nations of the south, who might hold in check the one and 
assist to elevate the other. Asia, indeed, has been peopled from 
the north, but the difference between the natives of the cold and 
those of the hot climates is great and striking. Hence the south, 
weak and luxurious, has constantly been conquered by the hardy 
and savage north. Thus we find the Tartars, Affghans, Mongols, 
and Mantchous every where conquerors. They have successively 
subdued China, Persia, and India. A Tartar race now sits upon 
the throne of China. Such were the ancient Scythians, and such 
the modern Tartars, hardy and enterprising, but savage and cruel, 
who twenty times have conquered Asia and Eastern Europe. 
Such were Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, whose empires em- 
braced half of the ancient continent. Their power, however, in 
the north, is all but exhausted. The Calmucks have yielded to 
Russia, the Affghans to England. The Tartar princes of China 
have become weak as other men. All Asia is open to the occu- 
pancy of European power, civilization, and religion. A new era 
faintly dawns in the center of Oriental civilization. What the re- 
sult will be, time only will show. 

But we will look at some of the principal countries in detail, 
commencing with Turkey, and proceeding southward to Palestine 
and Arabia, thence to Persia, Hindostan, and China. We shall 
be obliged to confine our attention to the leading nations, dwelling 
chiefly upon their grand characteristics and usages. 



410 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 




TUEKEY. 411 



CHAPTER XXX. 



TURKEY, 



The large, but ill-assorted, and rapidly decaying empire of 
Turkey, once so strong and flourishing, lies partly in Europe, and 
partly in Asia. The Turks, properly speaking, are Asiatic in 
their character and manners, so that we shall be justified in con- 
sidering the whole as belonging to the Asiatic world. It covers 
a large and interesting portion of the globe, particularly in what 
was anciently called Asia Minor, once the seat of arts, arms, and 
dominion, but now illustrious chiefly for its magnificent and mourn- 
ful ruins. The population amounts to somewhere about 15 or 17 
millions, though some put it as high as 20 millions, considerably 
diversified in race and character, though consisting mainly of 
Turks, who are of Scythian origin, much modified, however, by 
intermarriages with other nations. The wealthier inhabitants have 
been accustomed to supply their harems with beautiful women 
from Circassia, Georgia, and the adjacent countries, a circumstance 
which has greatly softened the harsh features of the native Os- 
manlees. 

But before describing the Turks particularly, let us visit Con- 
stantinople, the capital of the country, and one of the most strik- 
ing cities in the world. We will proceed thither through the 
Hellespont, or Dardanelles (so called from the forts which guard 
its entrance), about thirty-three miles long, and from a mile to a 
mile and a half in breadth, one of the most important straits in 
the world, as it conducts through the Sea of Marmora and the 
Bosphorus, to the Black Sea, and thence to the entire Oriental 
world. The Sea of Marmora is a large body of water, 180 miles 
in length, and 60 miles in breadth, from the northern shore of 
which we enter the Bosphorus, a beautiful strait, resembling, it is 
said, the Hudson river at West Point, about a third of a mile 
wide, and fifteen miles long, but highly cultivated, and covered 
with palaces through its entire length. Before us, on a bend of 
the strait, and crowning the summits of .several hills, rises the fair 
city, with its mosques and minarets flashing in the clear light of 
an Oriental sky, and so disposed as to produce a superb panoramic 
effect. Indeed, the Bosphorus, with its dark blue waves, runs 
up apparently to the very heart of the city, and incloses it on the 



412 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



north, by means of a branch called the Golden Horn, which forms 
one of the finest harbors in the world. Dark green masses of 
cypress rise from every part of the shore, and from the grave- 
yards beyond the city walls, near the tombs of the dead, for 
every tomb must have a cypress, relieving agreeably the fairy-like 
brilliancy of the scene. The water is covered with caiques, which 
with the gorgeous appearance of the Oriental architecture on either 
shore, the extensive gardens, and the transparent depth of the 
cloudless atmosphere, gives to the whole an air of peculiar grace 
and splendor. We feel for the moment as if we were approach- 
ing a world of enchantment, though instantly roused from our 
dream by a sudden plunge of a corpse, sewed in a bag, thrown 
suddenly from one of the caiques just passing us. Perhaps the 
poor wretch died of the plague, or by the hand of imperial vio- 
lence ; for such a mode of dispatching an official, or a favorite, is 
by no means unfrequent in Stamboul. Mysterious Bosphorus ! 
what magnificence and crime, what glory and shame, hast thou 
borne upon thy bosom, or hidden in thy depths ! " Venice," says 
the author of Eothen, " strains out from the steadfast land, and in 
old times would send forth the chief of the state, to woo and wed 
the reluctant sea ; but the stormy bride of the Doge is the bow- 
ing slave of the Sultan — she comes to his feet with the treasures 
of the world — she bears him from palace to palace — by some un- 
failing witchcraft she entices the breezes to follow her,* and fan 
the pale cheek of her lord — she lifts his armed navies to the very 
g*ates of his garden — she watches the walls of his serail — she sti- 
fles the intrigues of his ministers — she quiets the scandals of his 
courts — she extinguishes his rivals, and hushes his naughty wives 
all one by one — so vast are the wonders of the deep." Yes, 
wonders and horrors ; for it is no joke to the myriads who have 
found a grave in these mysterious depths. 

The charm of Constantinople from the sea, is dissipated by a 
more intimate acquaintance. It has splendor enough, but com- 
bined with meanness and filth ; and, ten to one, you will find the 
plague prevailing in its very center. The palaces and tombs of 
the Sultan are magnificent, but the interior of the former is sedu- 
lously guarded. The seraglio of the Sultan, where he keeps his 
beautiful wives, is a vast inclosure, close on the deep waves of 
the Bosphorus. Here, in luxurious ease, the delicate descendant 
of illustrious sires spends his hours of leisure, which are nearly all 
the hours he has. Some of the mosques, or sacred edifices, are 
splendid buildings. They have little, however, in their interior to 

* A breeze is constantly blowing in this direction. 



TUKKEY. 413 

attract attention. The worship, apparently devout, is monoto- 
nous, and gone through with a lazy formality. 

The Turks seem to be a race of worshipers, for prayer is one 
of their most frequent and favorite exercises. Morning and even- 
ing, at the call of the Muezzin, they prostrate themselves before 
Allah, the one God, of whom Mohammed claimed to be prophet, 
and there is certainly something affecting in the act ; but it is 
formal and cold — a mere ceremony, without reflection or emotion. 
The Koran promises to the faithful Mussulman a paradise of sen- 
sual delights ; and every Turk therefore feels bound, as much as 
possible, to realize his heaven on earth. This is the principal ele- 
ment of his religion — this the vital ingredient in his character. 
Hence the true Turk, though possessed of much native energy and 
even violence of disposition, is a dreamy, indolent, fanatical sensual- 
ist. He believes in an absolute fatality, and so he lives for nothing, 
cares for nothing, but personal indulgence. The houses of his 
neighbors may burn to the ground — his acquaintances may be 
assassinated, or plunged into the Bosphorus — what cares he, if he 
has only his tchibouk, or his concubine ! Clinging to ancient cus- 
toms and dress, averse to effort and change, believing in fate, and 
anticipating a heaven of sensual delights, he is willing to live and 
to die a slave. Yet he is proud as Lucifer — proud of his ancestry, 
of his country, and his name ; holding in sovereign contempt all 
other people and nations on the face of the earth. 

True, a change is going on silently in Turkey. The late Sultan 
commenced a reform among the people, with a view to the intro- 
duction of European customs, arts, and sciences ; but the great 
mass of the people dislike it, and it may be questioned whether it 
will have any other effect than that of hastening the decay of the 
nation. The present Sultan seems inclined to prosecute the plans 
of his father, but his success is problematical. In appearance, he 
is delicate and gentle — almost effeminate ; and, indeed, how can 
he be otherwise, secluded as he is, and spending most of his time 
in a harem ? Still, in one or two instances, he has shown some 
energy. The following is related by Aubrey de Vere, Esq., and 
illustrates several traits in the Turkish character : — " At the be- 
ginning of a new reign, the Ulema (the priesthood ?) was resolved, 
if possible, to prevent the new Sultan from carrying on those 
reforms which had ever been so distasteful to the Turks, grating 
at once against their religious associations and pride of race, and 
which recent events had certainly proved not to be productive of 
those good results anticipated by Sultan Mahmoud. To attain 
this object, the muftis adopted the expedient of working on the 
religious fears of the youthful prince. One day as he was praying, 



414 THE WOELD WE LIVE E*. 



according to his custom, at his father's tomb, he heard a voice 
from beneath reiterating, in a stifled tone, the words, ' / burn.'' 
The next time that he prayed there, the same words assailed his 
ears. ' I burn' was repeated again and again, and no word be- 
side. He applied to the chief of the Imams to know what this 
prodigy might mean, and was informed, in reply, that his father, 
though a great man, had also been, unfortunately, a great re- 
former, and that, as such, it was too much to be feared that he 
had a terrible penance to undergo in the other world. The Sultan 
sent his 'brother-in-law to pray at the same place, and, afterward, 
several others of his household ; and on each occasion the same 
portentous words were heard. 

" One day he announced his intention of going in state to his 
father's tomb, and was attended thither by a splendid retinue, 
including the chief doctors of the Mohammedan law. Again, 
during the devotions, were heard the words, '/ burn,'' and all 
except the Sultan trembled. Rising from his prayer-carpet, he 
called in his guards, and commanded them to dig up the pave- 
ment, and remove the tomb. It was in vain that the muftis inter- 
posed, objecting to so great a profanation, and uttering .dreadful 
warnings as to its consequences. The Sultan persisted. The 
foundations of the tomb were laid bare, and in a cavity skillfully 
left among them was found — not a burning Sultan, but a dervis ! 
The young Sultan regarded him for a time fixedly and in silence, 
and then said, without any further remark, or the slightest expres- 
sion of anger, ' You burn ! then we must cool you in the Bos- 
phorus.' In a few minutes more, the dervis was in a bag, and the 
bag, immediately after, was in the Bosphorus ; while the Sultan 
rode back to his palace accompanied by his household and his 
ministers, who ceased not all the way to ejaculate, ' Mushallah ! 
Allah is great ; there is no god but God, and Mohammed is his 
prophet.' " 

In Turkey, woman, much caressed perhaps, is, after all, the 
slave of man. Shut out from society, she is confined with her sis- 
ter wives and servants, and is permitted to see no one but her liege 
lord. When suffered to roam abroad, which is as rare as possible, 
she must keep herself vailed, and enter into no converse with 
the other sex. Her education is trivial, and her manners those of 
a spoiled child. The women of Turkey, however, are represented 
as amiable and submissive, and it is perhaps well for them that 
they are ; but as to matronly dignity, good sense, and cultivation, 
they can lay no claim to them. The Circassian women have fine 
expressive faces, and, under a different system of training, might 
develop high qualities of intellect and heart ; but their intelligence 



TUEKET. 415 

resides only in their looks, for beyond their own narrow circle they 
know nothing. 

In Turkey, marriages are contracted in very early life, and are 
mere mercenary affairs. The result of such a custom must be 
very unfavorable to morals. Two children are betrothed, at a very 
tender age — sometimes at three or four — and when the engage- 
ment is completed at mature years, which often occurs pretty 
early in life, the bride is carried off in procession to the husband's 
house. Divorces, as might be expected, are very frequent. The 
following amusing account of a wedding is given by an English 
resident in Turkey : 

" When we lived among the Turks, a dapper little fellow, a son 
of our broker, called one morning upon us with a message, which 
he delivered in substantial Hebrew : 

" ' My lord and father makes his submissive obedience to your 
lordship (whom God protect !), and desires to know if he shall 
have the honor to kiss your hand at the wedding to-day ?' 

" ' What wedding, Muchaca ?' 

" ' Mine, sir.' 

" ' Yours ! Why, you little villain, how old are you ?' 

" He raised his hand thrice, being superstitious about repeating 
numbers. 

" ' Fifteen ! And how old is your wife that is to be ?' 

" He counted eleven with his fingers. 

" ' Why, Chica, what can you possibly do with a wife ? Is she 
pretty ?' 

" ' Don't know, excellenza. I never saw her.' 

" Here's a vile country for you. Boys and girls, who should be 
in school learning their lessons, getting married without having 
seen each other — without love, sentiment, vows, protestations, et 
cetera ! 

" ' Did you make her any presents ?' 

" ' yes, sir. The presents went last night. We had a camel 
load, your lordship ; a band of music, a trunk full of fine silk 
dresses, embroidered slippers, gold ear-rings, two silver waiters, 
plenty of oil and sweet cakes, and a dish of kuskisue.' 

" Shall we go to this Oriental wedding, thought we. Yes, we 
will go, if it is only to see the bride and groom. It was noon. 
We ordered the mules to be attached to the chaise, and rode to 
the comfortable mansion of Signor Solomon Benbanon. The long 
salle was thronged with men wearing blue turbans and heavy 
black beards. The little bridegroom, with a pair of wide cotton 
trowsers and embroidered jacket, and a crimson velvet skull-cap, 
was seated on an ottoman, gazing attentively around, as if he was 



416 THE WOELD WE LIVE US'. 



not a party to the important ceremony about to take place. After 
prayers, a canopy was produced, under which the little fellow was 
placed ; a curtain in front of an alcove was withdrawn, and a bevy 
of fat women entered, followed by the little bride, who had a white 
lace vail thrown over her head, no stockings on, with heavy anklets 
or cinctures of gold, and her tiny feet encased in red morocco 
slippers, embroidered with gold. The bride stood opposite the 
groom. He eyed her closely, and she peeped at him through her 
vail. He tried to look grave, but ever and anon would twitter and 
laugh. When they gave him the ring to put on her finger, he put 
it on his own, rubbed it, looked pleased, as if unwilling to give it 
to her. After the ceremony, they were both seated on an otto- 
man, and received the congratulations of all present. Pauvre 
Cito ! they looked like children ready for any sport — blindman's 
buff, or hunt the slipper — any thing, in short, but being married. 

" Such are the Oriental customs. 'The married parties did not 
have the least agency in the matter. They were strangers to each 
other ; and, after the wedding, the girl went back to her father's 
house, and the boy played marbles, for we saw him next day sell- 
ing otto of roses and preserved figs, and sporting with a gang of 
little loafers not larger than himself. When he was big enough to 
be able to maintain his wife, we presume he claimed her." 

• In Constantinople and other Turkish cities are markets for 
female slaves — a more revolting system of slave-trading than any 
we know. Young and beautiful Greeks, Circassians, and others, 
are brought thither, and sold to the highest bidder. A handsome 
Abyssinian or Georgian will bring from 300 to 400 dollars ! 

The Turks are grave and quiet, and have comparatively few 
amusements, at least of an exciting or cheerful character. The 
baths are the great luxury ; they are frequented as operas and 
theaters are in Europe. Hours are spent in the bathing-houses. 
The ladies go to them with their slaves, and indulge in long and 
trivial gossip. 

The bazaars of Constantinople are a popular resort. There all 
the luxuries of the earth seem congregated to tempt the buyer. 
The merchant sits squat among his goods, asks about double price 
for every thing he has to sell, makes his exchanges with the utmost 
composure, and without moving his limbs from their place. 

The houses are built with an inner court, and are flat upon the 
top. The palaces of the rich merchants, pashas, and princes are 
adorned with sumptuous splendor, having rich baths and gardens 
attached. It is rare that a stranger is admitted to the harem, so 
that few travelers are competent to describe them. Mr. De Vere, 
however, was fortunate enough to enjoy this privilege, to a limited 



TUI1KEY. 419 

was that of sisters. In their movements, a striking sympathy was 
visible, the more remarkable from their rapid transitions from the 
extreme of alarm to childlike vender, and again to boundless 
mirth. 

The favorite was a Circassian, of a dignified, but pliant and 
graceful carriage, her dark eyes soft and radiant, and her com- 
plexion of great purity and delicacy, " being tinged with a color 
unlike that of flower or of fruit, of bud or of berry, but which re- 
minded one of the vivid and delicate tints which sometimes streak 
the interior of a shell. Though tall, she seemed light as an em- 
bodied cloud, and her expression, though pensive, would light up, 
when merry, with a sort of rapture." 

They threw off all reserve, being exceedingly delighted with 
the magician's feats. At every attempt to question them, their 
looks would seem to say, " You came here to give us pleasure, not 
to cross-question us." At last he tried a more formidable device 
— that of an electrical machine ; looking at which two or three 
times, the mollah asked him whether that, too, was supernatural. 
" By no means," replied the quick-witted Frenchman, " it is a mere 
scientific toy ;" turning to his companion and saying, in a low 
voice, " He has seen it before — probably he has traveled." The 
ladies were arranged hand in hand, in a circle, and were informed 
that, if a discovery were not made, each person should receive, at 
the same moment, a blow from an invisible hand ; that the second 
time, the admonition would be severer still ; and that the third 
time, if his warning was still despised, the culprit would drop 
down dead. This announcement was received with much gravity, 
but no confession followed. The shock was given, and the lovely 
circle was speedily dislinked with shrieks and laughter. It was 
repeated, with the same result ; when the magician made them a 
long speech, telling them that he had already discovered the secret, 
and so forth. Still no confession was made. The magician was non- 
plused, and for a moment seemed downcast. " It will not do," 
said he, " the ring cannot be recovered, and is probably lost. We 
cannot fulfill our engagement ; and, indeed, I wish that we were 
well out of all this." 

The master of the household stood apart, looking like a thun- 
der-cloud. The Easterns do not understand a jest, especially in a 
harem, and are apt to pass instantly from the profoundest repose 
to the most violent passion. They speak little, " but deliver their 
souls by action." Our conjurers, therefore, had the fear of the 
Bosphorus before their eyes, and their situation was by no means 
enviable. " Do as you see me do," said the one to the other, 
when, giving the third shock, he advanced to their grim host with 



420 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



a radiant countenance, and congratulated him vehemently. " You 
are a happy man," he said ; " your household has not a flaw in it. 
Fortunate it was that you sent^for the wise man. I have discov- 
ered the matter." " What have you discovered ?" " The fate of 
the ring. It has never been stolen ; your household is trustworthy 
and virtuous. I know where the ring is, but I should deceive 
you if I bade you hope ever to see it again. This is a great mys- 
tery, and the happy consummation surpasses even my hopes. 
Adieu ! The matter has turned out just as you see. You were 
born under a lucky star. Happy is the man whose household is 
trustworthy, and who, when his faith is tried, finds a faithful 
counselor. I forbid you, henceforth and forever, to distrust any 
one of your wives." 

" It would be impossible," says our authority, " to describe the 
countenance of our Mussulman friend during this harangue. He 
stood like a tree half in sunshine, half in shade ; gratification strug- 
gling with displeasure in his countenance, and wonder eclipsing 
both." But it Avas prudent to leave before the balance was ad- 
justed, and so they passed to the door. In a moment, the in- 
stinct of courtesy prevailed, and their host made a sign to one of 
his retinue. Slaves preceded them with torches, and half the 
household accompanied them as a guard of honor. Again they 
traversed the large and straggling house, passed through the gar- 
den, and entered the carriage, which awaited them beyond the 
walls. 

The government of Turkey is an absolute monarchy, or rather, 
perhaps, theocracy ; for the Sultan is a sort of representative and 
vicegerent of the Deity. " It is an absolute despotism," says 
Chateaubriand, " tempered with regicide !" The finances, officers 
of the court, and government, are all subject to the irresponsible 
will of the monarch. If his servants offend him, he commands 
them to be strangled, and thrown into the Bosphorus. The repre- 
sentatives of the Sultan, the judges, governors, commanders, and 
so forth, imitate his absolute sway, and do not hesitate to execute 
their selfish will, whenever they can do so with impunity. They 
are fond of pomp and show, high-sounding titles, and the slavish 
deference of the multitude. Some of them have traveled, and 
possess considerable information. Their manners are occasionally 
quite dignified and agreeable. Of late years, they treat the 
" infidel dogs" of Christendom, as they used to call them, with 
more respect. European dresses have been introduced into the 
army, and among the government officials ; but the people gener- 
ally prefer the picturesque costume of their fathers. Most of 
them, too, are grossly ignorant and fanatical, rejecting all books 



TUEKEY. 417 

extent, of which the following is a pleasant record. A casual 
acquaintance of his, a sort of conjurer and ventriloquist, of great 
boldness and ingenuity, much admired in Constantinople, had been 
applied to, by a wealthy Turk, to assist in the recovery of a ring 
lost by his favorite wife. He proposed that Mr. De Vere should 
accompany him as his assistant, resolved, if possible, to make his 
way into the harem. " We reached at last a gate, which promised 
little ; but, ere long, we found ourselves in one of those ' high 
walled gardens, green and old,' which are among the glories of the 
East. Passing between rows of orange and lemon trees, we 
reached the house, where we were received by a goodly number 
of slaves, and conducted, accompanied by our dragoman, through 
a long suite of apartments. In the last of them stood a tall, 
handsome, and rather youthful man, in splendid attire, who wel- 
comed us with a grave courtesy. We took our seats, and were 
presented, in due form, with long pipes, and with coffee, to me far 
more acceptable. After a sufficient interval of time had passed 
for the most meditative and abstracted of men to remember his 
purpose, our host, reminded of what he had apparently forgotten, 
by my companion's conjuring robes, an electrical machine, and 
other instruments of incantation, which the slaves carried from our 
carriage, civilly inquired when we intended to commence opera- 
tions. 'What operations?' demanded my companion, with much 
apparent unconcern. 'The discovery of the ring.' 'Whenever 
his highness pleased, and it suited the female part of his household 
to make their appearance,' was the answer. 

" At this startling proposition, even the Oriental sedateness of 
our stately host gave way, and he allowed his astonishment and 
displeasure to become visible. 'Who. ever heard,' he demanded, 
' of the wives of a true believer being shown to a stranger, and 
that stranger an infidel and a Frank ?' As much astonished, in 
our turn, we demanded, ' when a magician had ever been heard of, 
who could discover a stolen treasure, without being confronted 
with the person who had lost, or the person who had appropriated 
it." 

After a contest of two hours, our magicians gained the victory, 
but only through the interposition of a sort of semi-ecclesiastical per- 
sonage in the family, who declared that being prophets, and not 
men, an exception might be made in their favor, without violation of 
the Mussulman law ; not, indeed, to the extent of allowing them 
to profane the inner sanctuary of the harem with their presence, 
but so far as to admit them into an apartment adjoining it, where 
the women would be summoned to attend them. 

Accordingly, they passed through a long suite of rooms, and at 
18* 



418 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN". 



last found themselves in a lofty chamber, fanned by a breeze from 
the Bosphorus, over which its lattices were suspended, skirted by 
a low divan, covered with carpets and cushions, and enriched by 
splendid hangings, through which the light feebly glimmered. 
Among a confused heap of crimson pillows and orange drapery, 
at the remote end of the apartment, reclined the mother of the 
reluctant host. She appeared very aged, and lay there as still as 
if she had belonged to the vegetable, not the human world. 
Usually, she was obscured by the smoke of her long pipe ; but 
when its wreaths grew thin, or floated off, her dark eyes were 
fixed upon them with an expression half indifferent, and half averse. 

" Presently a murmur of light feet was heard in an adjoining 
chamber ; on it moved along the floor of the gallery, and in trooped 
the company of wives and female slaves. They laughed soft and 
musically as they entered, but seemed frightened also ; and at once 
raising their shawls, and drawing down their vails, they glided 
simultaneously into a semicircle, and stood there with hands folded 
on their breasts. I sat opposite to them, drinking coffee, and 
smoking, or pretending to smoke, a pipe eight feet long. At one 
side stood the mollah, and some male members of the household ; 
at the other stood the handsome husband, apparently but little 
contented with the course matters had taken ; and my friend, the 
magician, moved about among the implements of his art, clad in a 
black gown, spangled with flame-colored devices, strange enough 
to strike a bold heart with awe. Beyond the semicircle stood 
two children, a boy and a girl, holding in their hands twisted rods 
of barley sugar about a yard long each, which they sucked assidu- 
ously during the whole time of our visit. There they stood, mute 
and still as statues, with dark eyes fixed now on us, and now on 
the extremity of their sugar wands." 

After going through certain maneuvers and incantations, with 
which the women were delighted, the magician was asked if he 
had discovered the guilty party. With the utmost coolness, he 
replied, " Certainly not ; how could he, while his highness' wives 
continued vailed ?" This new demand created new confusion, and 
a new debate. The women appeared to favor the conjurer, and, 
after a consultation with the mollah and the mother, the husband 
gave his reluctant consent. In a moment the vails had dropped, 
and the beauty of many an Eastern nation stood before them 
revealed. 

Four were wives, and six^ were slaves. The former were truly 
beautiful, though in different styles of beauty ; of the latter, two 
only. All were tall, slender, and dark-eyed, uniting a mystical 
with a luxurious expression. Their bearing toward each other 



TUEKET. 423 



luxuriously lodged, and every thing is more redolent of Oriental 
genius than in any other place we have visited. The inhabitants 
excel in beauty, and especially in clearness and purity of complex- 
ion. No city is so well supplied with water as Damascus. The 
Barrada, as it enters the city walls, is artificially divided into six 
channels, which are made to enrich every house with fountains, 
and to send life and beauty through all the surrounding vegeta- 
tion. The streets are narrow but uniformly paved, and have ele- 
vated walks on both sides for foot passengers. No vehicle of any 
kind is ever seen, and but few camels or other beasts of burden. 
The houses are of stone, plastered with a grayish cement ; they 
are two or three stories in hight, flat-roofed, and their exterior 
presents only a bare dead wall, relieved here and there by a low 
unseemly door, and, perhaps, a latticed window. But let us 
glance at the interior. Coming from the street through an arched 
passage we find ourselves in an open court, some sixty feet square, 
flagged with marble set in mosaic. In the center is an elevated 
reservoir, eight feet by twelve, constantly fed with living water, 
and shaded by vines, and orange, lemon, and pomegranate trees. 
The high stone walls which inclose the court are striped with paint 
in bright tri-colors ; they are indented by spacious matted and 
divanned alcoves, and pierced with many doors and windows, 
opening into the various halls and chambers of the house. The 
principal rooms are planned much like the ancient Greek saloon. 
The door from the court admits you into a square space some 
fifteen feet in breadth, paved with marble and inlaid with mother- 
of-pearl, and having in its center a large perennial marble-inclosed 
fountain. On three sides of this square, and elevated about two 
feet above it, are estrades, each nearly as large as the lower area. 
They are divided from it by arches of beautiful form and work- 
manship, and are furnished with elegant seats and divans. The 
windows are either of stained glass, or are festooned with rich 
curtains. The walls are provided with shelved niches for vases of 
water, sherbet, and flowers ; and are painted, to a certain hight, 
in imitation of parti-colored marble, and further up with arabesque 
tables of flowers, fruits, and emblematic devices. The ceiling, 
which is at least forty feet above the floor, is paneled and richly 
pictured in the Eastern style. Every thing is on the most exten- 
sive scale, an Oriental mansion usually occupying three or four 
times as much ground as a European. The rent of such a house 
is only about 1800 piasters, or eighty dollars a year. 

There are many Jewish families here. The following is a de- 
scription of the house of one of the richest of these families : 

Passing from the street through a long vaulted archway, we 



424 THE WORLD WE LIVE LN". 



enter the court, which, as usual, is paved with marble, and orna- 
mented with fountains and fruit-trees. Here we are received by 
the family. First, the master of the house, a gentleman about 
thirty years of age, with keen eyes, light complexion, black beard 
and mustaches, and attired with a white turban, and a light silk 
robe, secured by a sash. Next, a young Rebecca of eighteen, 
with rich brunette complexion, full fair forehead, eyebrows shaven 
into a perfect circle and colored with kohol, dark, lustrous eyes, 
and a small yet finely rounded figure. A gay velvet cap, bor- 
dered with a broad fillet of rose-diamonds, covers her head, and 
her soft brown hair hangs behind in long braided plaits, each of 
which is decorated at the extremity by a gold sequin. A green, 
loose-sleeved silk vest, with its front just open enough to show the 
silk tunic beneath, reaches down to her waist, which is girded by 
a beautiful sash. Full trowsers of colored silk, tightly gathered 
at the ankles, white stockings, and yellow slippers complete her 
costume. Lastly, the wife of our host, a beautiful lady of some 
twenty -four years, and an elderly matron, his mother ; both are 
attired in much the same style as the damsel, but witb^ greater 
simplicity. We duly make our salaams, and are forthwith ushered 
into a spacious and elegant saloon. A white linen cushion, lying 
directly on the floor, borders it on all sides ; on this, according 
to Eastern usage, we all take, at proper distances, our reclining 
positions. Such attitudes ! But enough said ! Coffee, sweet- 
meats, and Turkish pipes are brought, and, through our Arab in- 
terpreter, we carry on a lively conversation. In due time we take 
our leave, with all the ceremony Oriental etiquette requires. 

The Turks consider Damascus as a peculiarly holy city, and re- 
gard Frank intruders with aversion ; but this feeling is diminishing. 
There is very little truth or honesty among the people of Damas- 
cus generally, but more among the Turks than either the Jews or 
Greeks. In few cities is morality at a lower ebb. Licentiousness 
abounds every where ; but the Jewish women surpass as much in 
corruption as in beauty. Among all classes, marriages take place 
at a very early age, and females are frequently grandmothers at 
thirty. Yet the population is rather diminishing than increasing. 
Most illegitimate children are destroyed, and of the others not 
one out of four survives the mistreatment and neglect of infancy. 
Few parents have more than one or two children, husbands pre- 
ferring to spend their means in enjoying themselves, than in sup- 
porting families. 

The people pass most of their time smoking in blissful repose 
in the public gardens, at the coffee-houses, which are built over 
running streams, and shaded and perfumed by the most beautiful 



TURKEY. 421 

but th« Koran, and cherishing an orthodox horror of printing. 
Trade, commerce, agriculture — all are in a backward condition. 
The vigor, enthusiasm, and prosperity of the nation are gone, we 
fear, forever. The tottering empire of Turkey is preserved only 
by the political jealousy of the European potentates. Their ex- 
treme anxiety to preserve "the integrity of the Ottoman empire" 
— to quote their favorite phrase — proceeds from no love to the 
Turks, but from regard to their own selfish interests. 

The Armenians, of whom there are from four to five millions 
scattered throughout the empire, are nominal Christians, with many 
superstitions, little religious knowledge, or elevation of character. 
But a great change for the better has been effected among them, 
by the efforts, of American missionaries, and the circulation of the 
Scriptures and other religious books. This, combining with the 
efforts of the Sultan, Abdul Mejdid, and his more enlightened 
ministers, to resuscitate the empire, by the introduction of Euro- 
pean tactics, arts, and sciences, may prepare the way for a religious 
and moral revolution, and, we hope, transformation in Turkey. 
For if the European faith, in its simplicity and power, could only 
be introduced, in connection with other means of civilization, Tur- 
key might yet be won to the cause of truth, of freedom, and jus- 
tice. So long, however, as a sensual and effete system of religious 
belief, like that of Mohammed, which allows polygamy and en- 
courages sensualism, is retained, with all its peculiarities, in this 
worn-out kingdom, it will remain stationary among the nations, or, 
rather, pass more and more rapidly into barbarism and decay. 
Some of the moral precepts of the Koran are good, and, when 
rigidly practiced, in ancient times, by the nation, assisted to pre- 
serve its integrity. The idea, too, of one God is sublime and ele- 
vating ; but Islamism, with its spirit of formalism and sensuality, 
contains the elements of its own destruction, and is now producing 
its legitimate fruits in the acknowledged imbecility of the entire 
Turkish empire. 

Turkey boasts the possession of a regular Mohammedan hier- 
archy, consisting of Imams, and other priests of different grades. 
The dervises are the monks of Islamism. The most noted of 
these are the Dancing, and the Shouting or Howling Dervises. 
The former dance and the others howl with the devoutest energy. 

The Turkish language is of Tartar origin, and though sonorous, 
is rough and harsh. Its literature is borrowed chiefly from the 
Arabian, in which the Koran was written. Indeed, the two lan- 
guages, as well as literatures, have become remarkably blended. 
The golden age of Arabic, and consequently of Turkish learning, 
is passed. Still, the Turks are not without elaborate treatises on 



422 THE WORLD WE LIVE ES T . 



theology, medicine, physics, mathematics, astrology, and so forth. 
Arabic literature, especially of the middle ages, is rich and various ; 
though much of it is fanciful and obsolete. Recently newspapers 
have been introduced into Turkey ; and a few European works 
have been translated, but they are few and far between. Science 
and philosophy, in their true sense, may be said scarcely to exist 
either in Turkey or Arabia. The people are hundreds of years 
behind Europe. 

But we must leave Constantinople, and after visiting Smyrna, 
" infidel Smyrna," as it is called by the Turks, the great commer- 
cial city of the Greeks, with its motley crowds, and passing hur- 
riedly through Pergamos, Philadelphia, and other places men- 
tioned in the Scriptures, in connection with the seven churches of 
Asia, respecting which the divine predictions have been literally 
fulfilled, We will prosecute our journey eastward, and entering 
Syria, penetrate the mountains of Lebanon, with their lofty cedars, 
occupied partly by the warlike Druses, a wild race, half pagan and 
half Mohammedan, and the Maronites, a sect of Oriental Chris- 
tians, addicted to war and other unchristian usages. After this 
we will cross the country by way of the wilderness east of the 
Jordan, which rises in the mountains of Lebanon, and make our 
way to the far-famed and beautiful Damascus, the capital of Syria, 
and the dwelling-place of many wealthy Jews, as well as Moham- 
medans, Greeks, and others. 

Below us is the plain of El Ghota, stretching northward and 
southward as far as the eye can reach, and bounded on one side 
by an undulating range of hills, and on the other by the snow- 
crested ridge of the Anti-Libanus. The plain is but one vast ex- 
panse of aridity, save where the Barrada shoots through it its 
flashing waters. In its midst waves a grove twenty miles in 
circuit, and luxuriant with every tree an Eastern sun can warm 
into life, from the lowly pomegranate, with its vermilion petals, to 
the stately palm, with its proudly nodding plumes. The city lies 
" like a pearl set in emerald," its domes and minarets glistening un- 
der the noontide sun. Hastening on, we soon pass the city gates, 
and slowly make our way through streets and bazars, until we 
finally enter the " street called Straight," of Apostolic memory. 

Damascus has a population of about 125,000, of which about 
12,000 are Syrian Christians, 3000 Jews, and the remainder Mo- 
hammedans. The city lost, a few years since, quite a fraction of 
its population by the cholera: no less than 21,000 were swept 
off in twenty-five days. Here, for the first time, we see genuine 
Eastern life, uncontaminated by contact with Europeans. The 
bazars are richer, the people are more picturesquely attired and 



PALESTINE AND ARABIA. 427 



there is the brook Kedron, and yonder the Mount of Olives, and 
above us the same calm, deep sky which heard our Redeemer's 
prayer. Entering the city, we wander from point to point, visit 
the spots assigned by tradition to the principal events in our Sa- 
vior's closing history, Calvary, and the Holy Sepulcher. These 
anciently were beyond the city, now they are in the heart of it ; 
but while this occasions doubt, we do not forget that the city has 
changed its location somewhat, having actually gathered around 
these points of interest. But the exact localities, perhaps, are of 
little consequence. Somewhere on these rocky eminences Jesus 
Christ, the Savior of men, was crucified and buried. The place 
is hallowed, and though defiled by absurd superstitions, will ever- 
more awaken the reverence and affection of all Christian pilgrims. 
Visitors to Jerusalem will naturally feel themselves attracted 
toward the site of the ancient temple ; few, however, have ever 
been permitted to examine the premises, now occupied by the 
two principal Mohammedan mosques, Omar and Aksa. The fol- 
lowing letter from Mr. Catherwood, addressed to Mr. Bartlett, 
gives all the information respecting this interesting subject which 
could be desired. 

" Dear Sir — You have asked for some account of my visit to 
the Mosque of Omar at Jerusalem, and the ground surrounding it, 
occupied formerly by the Temple of Solomon. You also request 
my opinion on several points connected with its topography. I 
was at Jerusalem in 1833, in company with my friends, Messrs. 
Bonomi and Arundale ; and having so often looked upon the in- 
teresting buildings which now occupy this celebrated spot, I felt 
irresistibly urged to make an attempt to explore them. I had 
heard, that for merely entering the outer court, without venturing 
within the mosque, several unfortunate Franks had been put to 
death ; and you may therefore conceive the attempt was somewhat 
rash. However, there were many circumstances in my favor. It 
was the period of the rule of Mehemet Ali in Syria ; and the 
Governor of Jerusalem, with whom I was on good terms, was a 
latitudinarian as to Mohammedanism. I had brought with me a 
strong firman, expressly naming me as an engineer in the service 
of his highness. I had adopted the usual dress of an Egyptian 
officer, and was accompanied by a servant possessed of great 
courage and assurance. This man had strongly urged me to the 
experiment ; and at last, notwithstanding the remonstrances of my 
friends, I entered the area one morning with an indifferent air, and 
proceeded to survey, but not too curiously, the many objects of 
interest it presents. As I was about to enter into the mosque, 



428 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



however, I caught sight of one of the guardian dervises, who are 
in the habit of conducting pilgrims around it. This man made 
toward me, in the hope of a better donation than usual. As I was 
not prepared to go through the requisite ceremonial with this de- 
vout guide, I thought it prudent to retreat, as if accidentally, from 
his alarming neighborhood, and quietly left the area, without having 
attracted the least notice. The success of my first attempt induced 
me to make a second visit the following day. I determined to take 
with me my camera lucida, and make a drawing — a proceeding 
certain to attract the attention of the most indifferent, and expose 
me to dangerous consequences. The cool assurance of my servant 
at once befriended and led me on. We entered, and, arranging 
the camera, I quickly sat down to my work, not without some 
nervousness, as I perceived the Mussulmen, from time to time, 
mark me with doubtful looks. However, most of them passed on, 
deceived by my dress, and the quiet indifference with which I re- 
garded them. At length some, more fanatic than the rest, began 
to think all could not be right. They gathered at a distance in 
groups, suspiciously eyeing me, and comparing notes with one 
another. A storm was evidently gathering. They approached, 
broke into sudden clamor, and, surrounding* us, uttered loud 
curses. Their numbers increased most alarmingly, and, with their 
numbers, their menacing language and gestures. Escape was 
hopeless. I was completely surrounded by a mob of two hundred 
people, who seemed screwing up their courage for a sudden rush 
upon me. I need not tell you what would have been my fate. 
Nothing could be better than the conduct of Suleyman, my ser- 
vant, at this crisis. Affecting vast indignation at the interruption, 
he threatened to inform the governor, out-hectored the most clam- 
orous, and, raising his whip, actually commenced a summary 
attack upon them, and knocked off the cap of one of the holy der- 
vises. This brought matters to a crisis, and I believe few minutes 
would have passed ere we had been torn in pieces, when an inci- 
dent occurred that converted our danger and discomfiture into 
positive triumph. This was the sudden appearance of the governor 
on the steps of the platform, accompanied by his usual train. 
Catching sight of him, the foremost — those who had been disgraced 
by the blows of Suleyman — rushed tumultuously up to him, de- 
manding the punishment of the infidel who was profaning the holy 
precincts, and horsewhipping the true believers. At this the 
governor drew near ; and as we had often smoked together, and 
were well acquainted, he saluted me politely ; and supposing it to 
be beyond the reach of possibility that I could venture to do what 
I was about without warrant from the Pasha, he at once applied 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 425 



fruit-trees. " If, according to the Mohammedan idea, ethereal 
skies, aromatic airs, luxuriant foliage, delicious fruits, sparkling 
waters, melodious birds, and beautiful women, make a paradise, 
Damascus is an earthly elysium." 

We should be glad to visit other places of renown in Syria, 
especially those venerable for their ruins. But Palestine and 
Arabia attract us more powerfully. So leaving Damascus, we 
pass westward toward the sea of Tiberias, or lake of Genesareth, 
lying peacefully, like the lake of Geneva, amid a coronet of 
mountains, over whose summits once trod " the Son of the High- 
est," accompanied by his chosen disciples. The Jordan issues 
from the southern extremity of the lake, and pursues a nearly 
direct course through the valley of the Jordan, till it loses its 
waters in the dreary depths of the Dead Sea. Passing southward, 
we travel to " the Holy City," through a beautiful but mountain- 
ous country, clothed in the luxuriant verdure of " the Judean 
summer." 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

PALESTINE AND ARABIA. 

The garish sun is dropping behind the hills of Ephraim, when 
ascending from the village of Bethany, once the residence of Laz- 
arus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, we gain the summit of the 
Mount of Olives, and, lo ! Jerusalem, " beautiful for situation, the 
joy of the whole land," lies before us, bathed in the mellow light 
of departing day, though the valleys and lower parts of the city 
are already covered with the shadows of twilight. Yonder tower 
the magnificent domes of the Mosque of Omar on the hights of 
Mount Moriah, where formerly stood that glorious temple, to 
which turned, in the hour of Jewish devotion, so many hearts and 
eyes. To the left, separated from it by the valley of Tyropoeon, 
is Mount Zion, formerly the most splendid part of the city, con- 
taining the. palace of its greatest monarch, but now narrowed by 
the wall, and containing, as its most remarkable object, the plain 
building of the Armenian convent. On the northwest is the hill 
of Akra, the handsomest part of the town. On its crest stands 
the Latin convent, and on its steep declivity, to the southeast, the 
Greek convent, adjoining the church of the Holy Sepulcher. As 



426 



THE WORLD WE LITE EST. 



a whole, the city has a singular and rather gloomy look, although 
lighted in its higher portions, and on its domes, minarets, and 
spires, at this hour of sunset, with the faint radiance of departing 
day. All is still ; for the city, unlike those which are filled with 
the tumult of life, sends up no cheerful hum into the busy air. 
Yet a holy grandeur and solemnity brood over the place, a strange, 
unworldly fascination, from the august and thrilling recollections 
with which it is associated. We descend into the valley of Je- 




Jerusalem. 

hoshaphat, through which passes the brook Kedron, and where 
stand the tombs of the prophets, the tomb of Absalom, of Mary, 
and many others, and find ourselves under the shadow of the old 
olive-trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, old beyond the memory 
of man, and if not the identical trees under which our Savior 
prayed in agony, occupying the same sacred spot. But the olive- 
tree is exceedingly tenacious of life, and will last, it is affirmed, 
hundreds of years ; but no matter, the locality is the same, for 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 431 



rately carved, although concealed from sight. Under this dome 
is a remarkable limestone rock ; it occupies, with its irregular 
form, the greater part of the area beneath, and is surrounded by 
a gilt iron railing, to keep it from the touch of the numerous pil- 
grims. It appears to be the natural surface of the rock of Mount 
Moriah ; in a few places there are marks of chiseling. Over this 
hangs a time-worn crimson silk canopy. At the southeast corner of 
this rock there is an excavated chamber, called by the Moham- 
medans the Noble Cave, to which there is a descent by a flight of 
stone steps. This chamber is irregular in form, and its superficial 
area is about six hundred feet, the average night seven feet ; it, 
derives a peculiar sanctity from having been, successively (accord- 
ing to Mohammedan tradition), the praying-place of Abraham, 
David, Solomon, and Jesus ; its surface is quite plain, and in it are 
a few small altars. In the center of the rocky pavement is a cir- 
cular slab of marble, which, being struck, returns a hollow sound, 
clearly showing that there is a well or excavation beneath ; this is 
called by the Mohammedans Bir Arruah, the Well of Souls, 
— of the wicked, we must suppose, this being the entrance to 
the Mohammedan hell. I was gravely informed that this well 
was opened until about forty years since, and up to that 
period was frequented by those who were desirous of holding 
converse with the souls of the departed confined below ; but that 
a certain widow, who was more than ordinarily curious and com- 
municative, carried such intelligence from the living to the dead, 
and from the dead to the living, as to disturb the peace of many 
families in the city, and cause such commotion below, that the 
noise getting too outrageous, the well had to be closed to prevent 
further mischief-making. The corridors of the mosque are airy, 
light, and elegant, and the sun, streaming through the richly 
stained glass windows, casts a thousand varied dyes upon the 
richly decorated walls and marble pavement. In striking con- 
trast to this is the somber and impressive appearance of the dome ; 
the eye in vain strives to pierce its gloom, to unravel its maze of 
rich arabesque ornaments, and read its lengthened inscriptions, 
drawn from the Koran. In perfect keeping are the groups of 
pilgrims and devout Mussulmen from all parts of the Mohamme- 
dan world, from India to Morocco. Their picturesque variety of 
dress and feature, their deeply devout deportment, as, headed by 
dervises in green robes and high conical caps, they silently pros- 
trate themselves in prayer, thankful to have attained the term of 
their weary pilgrimage, are very striking. One in particular, 
with whom I conversed, a native of British India, had walked 
from Calcutta, across Persia and Arabia, employing in the jour- 



432 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



ney three long years ; he had been about two months in the Holy 
City, and was on the point of retracing his steps, satisfied with 
his title of Hadji, and of being on the road to Paradise. Through- 
out the mosque are many objects of traditional reverence pertain- 
ing to Mohammed Ali, the Kaliph Omar, Fatima, and other Mo- 
hammedan saints, too tedious to enumerate. Suffice it to say, 
that, after the ' Caaba' at Mecca, the ' Sakhara' (in Jerusalem) is 
the most venerated place of Mohammedan devotion. Proceeding 
southward from the platform of the Mosque of Omar, across a 
paved footway, shaded by venerable cypresses, at the distance of 
three hundred and fifty feet, we reached the porch of the Mosque 
El Aksa, which occupies the remaining space of two hundred and 
eighty feet, extending to the southern wall of the great inclosure. 
It consists of a nave and six side aisles, of a mixed architecture, 
the entire breadth being one hundred and eighty feet. The col- 
umns and piers are very irregular in size, material, and architectu- 
ral character, some being evidently Roman, and others Saracenic. 
At the southern extremity is a beautiful dome, under which stands 
the gallery for the singers, and an elaborately carved pulpit. At- 
tached to the southwest angle of the building is the Mosque of 
our Lord, Abu Bekr. This mosque is upward of two hundred 
feet in length, and fifty-five in breadth. Down the center is a 
row of eight piers, from which arches cross to the sides. At right 
angles with this is the Mosque of the Mogrebbins, two hundred 
feet in length, of no particular character. At the opposite end of 
the edifice, on the edge of the wall, is the small Mosque of Omar, 
eighty-five feet in length. Attached to this mosque is one still 
smaller, called that of the Forty Prophets. The mass of build- 
ings projecting at the back, beyond the wall of the great inclo- 
sure, are merely offices connected with the mosque. 

" The interior of this extensive building, like the Mosque of Omar, 
abounds in traditionary objects. Its distinguishing peculiarity is 
a large inclosure for the devotion of Mohammedan women, who 
are not, on any account, permitted to enter the principal mosque. 
Like the Mosque of Omar, this also has its well. The entrance 
to the ancient gateway, existing iinder the mosque, is beneath the 
archway immediately to the left of the main entrance, by a flight 
of stone steps. This gateway is apparently of the same age and 
style as the Golden Gateway ; it is two hundred and eighty feet 
in length, and by means of steps and an inclined plane, the road- 
way through it ascends from the southern entrance to the level of 
the area. 

" Beneath the dome, at the southeast angle of the Temple wall, 
conspicuous from all points, is a small subterranean mosque, or 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 429 



himself to cool the rage of the mob. ' You see, my friends,' he 
said, ' that our holy mosque is in a dilapidated state ; and no 
doubt our lord and master, Mehemet Ali, has sent this effendi to 
survey it, in order to its complete repair. If we are unable to do 
these things for ourselves, it is right to employ those who can ; 
and such being the will of our lord, the Pasha, I require you to 
disperse, and not incur my displeasure by any further interruption ;' 
and turning to me, he said, in the hearing of them all, that if any 
one had the hardihood to disturb me in future, he would deal in a 
summary manner with him. I did not, of course, think it neces- 
sary to undeceive the worthy governor, and, gravely thanking 
him, proceeded with my drawing. All went on quietly after this. 

" During six weeks, I continued to investigate every part of the 
mosque and its precincts, introducing my astonished companions 
as necessary assistants in the work of survey ; but when I heard 
of the near approach of Ibrahim Pasha, I thought it was time to 
take leave of Jerusalem. The day after my departure he entered, 
and, as it happened, several English travelers of distinction entered 
at the same time. Anxious to see the mosque, they asked per- 
mission of Ibrahim, whose answer was characteristic of the man, 
to the purport that they were welcome to go if they liked, but 
he would not insure their safe return, and that he would not ven- 
ture to outrage the feelings of the Mussulmen by sending an escort 
with them. Here he was met with the story of my recent visit. 
He said it was impossible. The dervises were summoned, the 
governor was summoned, and an eclaircissement took place which 
must have been a scene of no small amusement. 

" It was more than simple curiosity that urged this rash attempt, 
and its fortunate issue enabled me, with my associates, to make a 
complete and scientific survey of the mosque, vaults, gateways, 
and other objects comprised within the extent of the area. These, 
I hope, at some future period, will be published. In the mean 
time, I gladly present you with a few brief notes for your intended 
publication. 

" The principal entrance- to the area is through the deserted 
bazar, on its west side. There are also three other entrances on 
the same side, and two from the north. In going from the gate- 
way to the mosque, a distance of one hundred and fifty feet, several 
praying-places of the Mohammedans are passed, with one or two 
elegant fountains, surmounted by beautiful cupolas, overshadowed 
with cypress and palm trees. The great platform is, in general, 
about fifteen or sixteen feet above the area, and is reached by 
three flights of stairs on the western side, above which are elegant 
pointed archways, probably of the same age as the mosque. Of 



430 THE WOELD "WE LIVE EST. 



these are also on the north side two, on the south side two, and 
on the east side one. At various intervals between these are 
apartments, under and attached to the platform, appropriated to 
the poorest class of the Mohammedan pilgrims, who are lodged 
and fed gratuitously from the funds of the mosque. One portion 
of these is devoted to black pilgrims from Africa. The extensive 
platform is four hundred and fifty feet from east to west, and five 
hundred and fifty feet from north to south, paved in part with 
marble. On it are several elegant praying- places — one especially, 
said to have been used by Fatima, the daughter of the prophet ; 
and on the south side, attached to the external parapet, is a sump- 
tuous and highly wrought pulpit, of the richest materials. On 
the east side, within a few feet of the mosque, is a building resem- 
bling a fountain, composed of columns and arches, with a praying- 
place pointing toward Mecca, and which, according to their tradi- 
tion, was the judgment-seat of King David. 

" The great Mosque of Omar, which stands on the platform, is 
octagonal in form, each side measuring sixty-seven feet. The 
lower division of the wall is composed of various colored marbles, 
arranged in elegant and intricate patterns. The remaining portion 
is pierced with fifty-six pointed windows, filled with the most 
beautiful stained glass imaginable ; perhaps of greater brilliancy 
than the finest specimens in our own cathedrals. The piers sepa- 
rating the windows are externally decorated with glazed tiles of 
bright colors and various patterns, which is also the case with the 
circular wall supporting the dome. The double dome, of pecu- 
liarly elegant form, is covered with lead, surmounted by a tall gilt 
crescent. Four doors give entrance to the mosque, opposite to 
the cardinal points. Of these, the southern is the principal, hav- 
ing a porch supported by marble columns. A narrow corridor, 
about thirteen feet wide, runs around the entire building inside, 
having eight piers and sixteen Corinthian marble columns, which, 
I suppose, have belonged to some ancient Roman buildings. The 
second corridor, which also runs around the building, is about 
thirty feet in breadth. The interior diameter of it is ninety-eight 
feet. The dome is sixty-six feet in diameter, supported by four 
massive stone piers, and twelve ancient Corinthian marble columns, 
also supposed to have formed part of the Jewish or Pagan temple 
formerly existing on the site. 

" These are connected by arches, from which springs the circu- 
lar wall supporting the dome ; the interior of the wall, and the 
dome itself, are ornamented in gilt, in the arabesque style, such 
as prevails in the Alhambra. This dome, which is of very an- 
cient date, is composed of wood- work ; portions of it are elabo- 



PALESTINE AND ARABIA. 433 



place of prayer, forming the entrance to the extensive vaults 
which support the level platform of the mosque above. It may- 
be presumed that the whole of the eastern side of the platform is 
so supported, but the only part accessible is immediately beneath 
the southeast angle. Here are fifteen rows of square pillars, 
from which spring arches supporting the platform. The spaces 
between the arches are of irregular dimensions. The roots of the 
olive-trees above have struck through the arches, and in some in- 
stances taken root again below. The ground rises rapidly from 
the southeast toward the north and west, so that the hight of 
the southern arches is thirty-five feet, while the northern ones are 
but ten. 

" The whole substructure appears to me of Roman origin, and 
in connection with the Golden Gate, and the one beneath the El 
Aksa, together with the ancient bridge, to have formed a connected 
plan of foundations and approaches to the great Temple of 
Herod. 

" At the southern end of the chapel are four columns, support- 
ing a small dome, under which is a stone sarcophagus in the Ro- 
man style of workmanship, called by the Mohammedans, 'the 
Tomb of our Lord Issa,' or Jesus. This is an object of great 
veneration to Mohammedans. 

" I pass on to consider the questions you submit : they may be 
stated as follows : 

" 1st. Is the ground occupied by the Mohammedan places of 
worship, with their inclosures and courts, generally identical with 
that of the ancient temple, its courts, and porticoes ? 

" 2d. Is the masonry of large stones in the wall, and the 
springing stones of an arch in the western wall, at the southwest 
angle, of higher antiquity than the time of Herod ? 

" In regard to the first question, I believe all who have written 
on the subject are of the same opinion, viz., that the two Moham- 
medan mosques occupy the site of the Temple of Solomon and its 
courts. It is the only level space of ground, and in all respects 
corresponds with the scriptural accounts within the city, and those 
of more recent date. 

" The extent occupied by the old temple and its courts and 
porticoes, it appears to me, ought rather to be gathered from cer- 
tain peculiarities in the ground itself at present existing, than 
from the account of Josephus, who states that the area of the 
temple was square, which does not at all agree with the present 
boundaries. 

" The lower courses of the masonry of ancient walls exist on 
the east, south, and west sides of tfc*- freat inclosure for nearly 

:% 



434 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



its whole length and breadth, and on the north side is distinguished 
by a wall on the brink of a deep trench, and at the northwest 
inner angle by the rock being cut perpendicularly to an extent of 
twenty feet in some parts. 

"The length of the east wall is 1520 feet, of the south wall, 
940 feet, of the west wall, 1617 feet, and of the north, 1020 
feet, and the wall stands at right angles only at one point, the 
southwest corner. Consequently, speaking mathematically, the 
area of the temple could never have been square : this is suppos- 
ing always that the old east, south, and southwest walls occupied 
the direction of the present ones. 

" The site occupied by the temple was originally called Mount 
Moriah, and declined steeply from the northwest to the southeast ; 
and in order to render it applicable for the building of a magnifi- 
cent temple, it was necessary to cut away a considerable portion 
of the rock at the northwest, and to raise the ground at the south- 
east angle. Both of these works still exist, and in perfect preserva- 
tion. 

" I consider it likely that the present area corresponds very 
nearly with the ancient one ; that the fortress and tower of An- 
tonia stood entirely without the present inclosure ; that the Mosque 
of Omar occupies the position of the Holy of Holies of Solomon's 
Temple, and that the Hagara Sakhara was the foundation rock on 
which it stood. 

" Such is a brief sketch of the most important objects within 
the inclosure of the 'Haram,' a spot now impossible to enter, and 
which my peculiar good fortune enabled me to explore. I pre- 
sent it in the hope that it may add to the interest of your work. 
" I remain, dear sir, yours truly, 

"F. Catherwood." 

While in Jerusalem, our attention is called to the condition of 
the Jews, the ancient possessors of the soil, and still the most 
natural and appropriate inhabitants of Palestine. As this country, 
however, is poor, the Jews, who are found in the great centers of 
business, are not attracted hither in any great numbers. Those 
resident here are generally poor, and without enterprise. Many 
of them are aged, and a few, members of the different synagogues, 
or theological schools, are somewhat learned, especially in Rab- 
binical lore. It is stated, on good authority, that while the Mo- 
hammedans are diminishing in numbers, the Jews are increasing, 
in Palestine. i Many come to the country when advanced in life, 
in order to lay their bones beside the tombs of patriarchs and pro- 
phets. Jerusalem and its environs, especially, are to them holy 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 435 



ground. But the Jews of other countries are more numerous and 
wealthy. They number, in all, something over six millions : in 
Poland, one million ; in the Russian empire, two millions ; in Ger- 
many, seven hundred and fifty thousand ; in the Low Countries, 
ninety thousand ; in France, seventy-five thousand ; in England, 
sixty thousand ; in Italy, two hundred thousand ; in North and 
South America, from one to two hundred thousand ; in the Mo- 
hammedan States of Europe, Asia, and Africa, three millions ;' in 
Persia, China, and Hindostan one million. 

In the Mohammedan countries, the condition of the Jews has, 
of late, been much improved. The civil disabilities under which 
they labored for centuries have been removed, by the liberality of 
the present Sultan. Indeed, the Jews are rising, in wealth, intel- 
ligence, and influence, in nearly all parts of the world. Many of 
them are well educated and highly intelligent. They speak sev- 
eral languages, and evince talent and energy. To a certain extent, 
they are the bankers of Europe. They have their share of influ- 
ence in politics and literature. Neander, the great church his- 
torian, was a Jew. Many other distinguished professors in the 
German universities are Jews. Marshal Soult was a Jew ; so was 
Massena (originally Manasseh). Count Arnim of Prussia belongs 
to the same nation. Some of the great musical composers and 
singers are Hebrews, or descendants of Hebrews, mingled, perhaps, 
with German or Slavonian blood. Among these, Rossini, Meyer- 
beer, and Mendelsohn, are well known. Pasta and Grisi are 
among " the sweet singers" of the modern Israel. The Herschels, 
we presume, are of Jewish descent ; and the D 'Israelis, father and 
son, distinguished in literature and politics, boast their Hebrew 
origin. 

But before us roll the waters of the Jordan, which we will cross 
at the place where the pilgrims, some of them from distant lands, 
are accustomed to bathe, in memory of our Savior's baptism. Of 
this interesting locality, the following animated description is given 
by Lewis Koeppen, a German traveler : 

" Though the heat was overpowering, we quickened our course, 
and in an hour and a half reached the ruinous monastery of St. 
John, situated on the upper banks of the Jordan, due east of 
Jericho. This large and wealthy convent was built before the 
sixth century, in commemoration of the place where, according to 
tradition, our Savior was baptized by St. John. Thousands of 
pilgrims, through the course of the Middle Ages, repaired to the 
hallowed spot, and bathed in the Jordan. The convent was then 
inhabited by Greek Kalogeri. It withstood all the storms and 
vicissitudes of the crusading wars, but was burned and demolished 



436 THE "WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



by the Miamelukes in the fifteenth century, and now only a few 
relics of the outer walls are standing on the high brink overlooking 
the lower valley of the river. We here descended some thirty or 
forty feet to the outer bank, covered with straggling poplars, wil- 
lows, tamarisks, and the fragrant rishrash, or vitex agnus castus, 
more and more condensing as we approached the river, and at 
last forming a thick and almost impenetrable wood on its margin, 
where we dismounted. This lower border of the river, according to 
the observations of Professor Russegffer, lies 1269 Paris feet below 
the level of the Mediterranean ; and here the Latin pilgrims cele- 
brate their mass and bathe on the Tuesday of the Holy Week, 
while the Greeks and Armenians move further down toward the 
Dead Sea. 

" The Jordan has here a breadth of from eighty to one hundred 
feet. Its depth was said to be twelve feet, and the nearest ford 
lies four miles north above Jericho. The current was silent but 
rapid, and filled the immediate banks to the very brim. In order 
to facilitate and secure the access to the river, the nearest trees 
had been felled, and the trunks laid across, forming a causeway 
which proved dangerous to pass on horseback, but was commodious 
for the pilgrims, who might thus fearlessly approach to the edge 
of the stream. 

" I felt singularly pleased on finding myself so suddenly reposing 
in the shade of a fine thick-set forest of high-grown, magnificent 
trees, of the most refreshing verdure, whose boughs projected far 
over the river, or bathed in its waters, while I formerly had sup- 
posed, according to the relations of Chateaubriand, and other trav- 
elers, that the banks of the Jordan were either sandy and bare, 
or beset only with reeds and copse. Still the days of Josephus 
are no more, when beautiful groves of palm-trees ' covered the 
banks of the holy river, and were the more luxuriant and frugif- 
erous the nearer they grew to the water.' All the palm -groves 
are now vanished ; they have suffered the same fate with the cities 
of the plain, having been thrown down and destroyed during the 
wars, or neglected during the long abandonment of this unhappy 
region to the roving and lawless tribes of the desert. In the whole 
wide plain, only one single palm-tree rears its melancholy crown 
over the miserable huts of the modern Jericho. 

" The grove consists of poplars, tamarisks, and many fine south- 
ern trees, which were unknown to me. Creepers, swinging from 
one tree to another, formed a dense hedge along the river-side, 
above which, at the distance of five miles, rose the violet mount- 
ains of El Belka. This wood-scenery, skirting the borders of the 
Jordan all along the Ghor, was a remarkable feature, particularly 



PALESTINE AND ARABIA. 437 



interesting to our American friends, as it reminded them of the 
still more extensive and impenetrable forests on the banks of their 
native rivers. The picturesque nerium oleander, by the Arabs 
called dejle, with its rosy flowers embellishing all the valleys and 
water-courses of the Lebanon, we sought for in vain, though 
other travelers have seen it higher up the river, toward the Lake 
of Tiberias. The heavy showers of the preceding days had occa- 
sioned a transient overflowing of the river, which was still visible 
by the deep loamy mud covering the dike and the lower parts of 
the adjoining wood. Through this we waded cautiously to the 
edge of the stream, and filled our leather buckets in the river. It 
had a yellow, clayish color, and did not seem very inviting ; but 
the water was cool and exceedingly refreshing after the sufferings 
of the day. Our company now dispersed in the wood, and sev- 
eral pilgrims went deeper into the thicket, to bathe in the river. 

" When Joshua, at the time of harvest, led the army of the 
Hebrews across the Jordan, the river was full to its banks, such 
as we found it now. Whether the passage of the Israelites took 
place four or five miles higher up at the ford, as some authors 
have supposed, or at this spot, " right against Jericho," as the 
Scriptures say, does not diminish the deep interest which the 
wanderer needs must take near the spot celebrated by an event of 
so great importance in remote antiquity. The Christian tradition 
has transferred the baptism of our Savior to this place, though 
John the Evangelist says that " it was done at Bethabara, beyond 
Jordan, where John was baptizing." From the earliest times of 
Christianity, therefore, it has been visited by the pilgrims, and 
in the seventh century a church was built, and the twelve stones 
erected, four miles from the river, toward Jericho, on the ruins of 
the ancient Gilgal, where the Israelites, after their passage, pitched 
their camp in the land of Canaan." 

We have not time to stay long by the Dead Sea, which we have 
reached, interesting as it is, both in itself, and in its associations. 
How lone and desolate it appears, yet how grand and imposing, 
surrounded by huge and time-scarred rocks, and possessing a 
gloomy sublimity, from its solitude and depth ! Here and there, 
on its bosom, float large masses of bitumen. Its waters are salt 
and brackish, and of great buoyancy. On the shores are found, 
in particular places, masses of salt ; and in one spot among the 
rocks, a high pyramidal column of this material, white and daz- 
zling, which some call the pillar of Lot's wife. The region around is 
scathed and scarred, and one can easily conceive that it must have 
been the scene of tremendous geological convulsions. Where now 
is the Vale of Siddini, if not submerged beneath these deep, dark 



438 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



"waves?* Where are the cities of the plain? and where their 
guilty and deluded inhabitants ? The wandering Bedouin may be 
seen occasionally prowling among the rocks ; but even he dreads 
the place, as one of calamity and fear. 



ARABIA. 

But we must pass on. The " waste, howling wilderness" is 
before us, dry and scorching, the scene of silence and desolation 
that can be felt. 

We are traveling through the Wady Mousa, which runs south- 
ward, as if it had anciently been the channel of the Jordan, barren 
and dreary ; the hot sun pouring upon us by day, and the calm, 
brilliant night of the Orient wrapping us in its gorgeous beauty by 
night. The camel, appropriately styled " the ship of the desert," 
with attendant Arabs, are our guides through regions which, 
though barren, seem to be their natural home. Both seem made 
expressly for the desert ; the descendant of Ishmael, as well as his 
patient, ever-faithful camel, being the proper tenants of these sandy 
climes. The camels are the special gift of God to Arabia. The 
poor creatures are capable of great endurance, and find sustenance 
on the rough and scanty herbage growing here and there amid 
the rocks and sands. 

After visiting Petra, the singular and once beautiful capital of 
Idumea, or Edom, hewn in lofty walls, pillars, and parapets from 
the solid rock, but now, in strict conformity with the predictions of 
the prophet, a lonely ruin, we turn westward, and after crossing 
the Red Sea, pass into the heart of that unchanging desert, which 
lies between Egypt and the Red Sea, in which wandered of old 



* This is decisively confirmed by the testimony of Captain Lynch, of the 
United States Exploring Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea. 
" The inference from the Bible, that this entire chasm was a plain sunk and 
' overwhelmed' by the wrath of God, seems to be sustained by the extraordi- 
nary character of our soundings. The bottom of the sea consists of two 
submerged plains, an elevated and a depressed one ; the last averaging 
thirteen, the former about thirteen hundred, feet below the surface. Through 
the northern, and largest, and deepest one, in a line corresponding with the 
bed of the Jordan, is a ravine, which again seems to correspond with the 
Wady el-Jeib, or ravine within a ravine, at the south end of the sea. * * 
* * All our observations have impressed us forcibly with the conviction, 
that the mountains are older than the sea." — '■'■Expedition" pp. 378-880. 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 



439 




Arabian Scene. 



PALESTINE AND AEABIA. 441 



the children of Israel. After passing under the frowning sum- 
mits of Sinai, which rise, in desolate grandeur, in the depths of 
the wilderness, we turn once more to the north, and after travel- 
ing slowly for several days, find ourselves in the holiest of all the 
cities of the Mohammedans, the " sun-bright Mecca," with its in- 
numerable pilgrims, of almost every nation, character, and cos- 
tume, its ancient, though by no means beautiful or imposing Kaaba, 
or sacred shrine, inclosing a black stone, the great object of Mo- 
hammedan devotion. The Kaaba, or Holy House, which occu- 
pies the center of a more recently constructed temple, lays claim 
to an - antiquity superior to that even of Islamism itself. It is 
probably spoken of by Diodorus Siculus, as held in superior sanc- 
tity by all Arabians. In the second century Maximus Tyrius 
attributes to the Arabs the worship of a stone ; and this, if not 
identical with, is yet analogous to the " black stone" of Mecca, the 
worship of which, as Gibbon remarks, is deeply tainted with its 
idolatrous origin. The Kaaba, which was all but rebuilt in 1627, 
after having suffered severe injury from fire, is an oblong, massive 
structure, eighteen paces in length, fourteen in breadth, and 
from thirty-five to forty feet in hight, its door being encased with 
silver, and adorned with gold ornaments. At the northeast cor- 
ner, near the door, is the celebrated " Black Stone," obligingly 
brought by the angel Gabriel as his contribution to the building, 
forming part of a sharp angle of the structure, four or five feet 
from the ground. It is oval-shaped, seven inches in diameter, of 
a dark-brown color, somewhat resembling lava, and surrounded 
by a border of cement and silver, to prevent its being worn away 
by the kisses and touches of innumerable pilgrims. It is supposed 
by scientific men to be one of those meteoric stones, composed 
chiefly of nickel and earthy matter, which have fallen in various 
parts of the world. Around the building runs a broad marble 
pavement. The four sides of the Kaaba are covered with a cur- 
tain of embroidered black silk stuffs, called the Kesona, annually 
brought from Cairo, at the time of the great pilgrimage, and re- 
newed with some preposterous and not very decorous ceremonies. 
The Holy Fountain of Zem-zem, claimed by the Arabians to be 
the same as that found by Hagar in the wilderness, which sup- 
plies the city with water for drinking and ablution, its use for 
other purposes being forbidden, is inclosed in a substantial stone 
building, with marble basins for ablution, and a room appropriated 
for pilgrims, who come hither in crowds to drink its mystic, soul- 
saving waters. 

Learning, science, and religion, they say, once flourished in this 
sacred city, but it is now more peculiarly distinguished than any 

19* 



442 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



other Arabian town for ignorance, intemperance, and irreligion. 
While the people are well versed in the precepts of the Koran, 
and ape the manners of the early Mohammedans, they indulge in 
levity and vice. In this respect " the holy city" is most unholy ; 
and nothing more strikingly demonstrates the decline of Moham- 
medan greatness. The Arabians, though preserving wonderfully 
their ancient manners, and evincing some noble traits, like our 
American Indians, are, generally speaking, a degraded people. 
Their ancient glory has passed away. Once the most learned as 
well as victorious nation in the world, commanding the commerce 
of the East, and renowned for their accomplishments and virtues, 
they have fallen into ignorance and imbecility. The Arabs of the 
towns, however, differ essentially from the Arabs of the wilder- 
ness. The latter are said to be the only true descendants of Ish- 
mael, and, in all ages, have preserved their native independence. 
They occupy the desert, in whose boundless wastes they love to 
roam, " their hand against every man, and every man's hand 
against them." They preserve the patriarchal form of govern- 
ment of chiefs, similar to that which prevailed in the days of 
Abraham and Ishmael. Their wealth consists in their horses and 
camels ; we may add, perhaps, their wives, for the latter are rather 
slaves than companions, every where being " hewers of wood and 
drawers of water" to their liege lords. 

The genuine Bedouin Arab has a stately port, especially on 
horseback, though excessively lank and grim, with sallow com- 
plexion, dark eyes, and long hair. The older chiefs, with their 
white hair and flowing beards, are quite venerable in their appear- 
ance, and command the universal respect of their followers. They 
live in tents, despising the ease and indolence of cities. Generous 
and courtly in their manners, they are yet cruel and even malig- 
nant in their resentments. A single word of implied or expressed 
contempt, from friend or foe, is often followed by a deadly blow. 
Family feuds are kept up with steady vengeance. According to 
the Koran (Chap. II. p. 20), whoever sheds blood owes blood to 
the family of the slain. A commutation, however, may be made. 
If this be not accepted, retaliation is then allowed to the injured 
family. But as this usually exceeds the offense, new cause of 
hatred and revenge is given, till a single murder, perhaps, " puts 
blood," in Arabian phrase, between families forever. A slighting 
expression or sarcasm, however, is sufficient to put blood between 
two families, and give rise to a long series of revengeful acts. 
Niebuhr relates that a noble Arab being asked scoffingly if he 
were the father of the handsome wife of a person named, con- 
strued the question into a sneer upon his daughter's virtue. 



PALESTINE AND ARABIA. 443 



Being unarmed at the moment, the offender escaped ; and the 
father spent years in vainly pursuing him, during which, however, 
he killed both the parents and many relations of the scoffer, his 
slaves, his cattle, and reduced him to the verge of beggary. The 
offence was at last commuted by an enormous fine. 

Robbery is regarded by the Arab as a legitimate and honorable 
business, as marauding and "cattle lifting" (stealing) used to be by 
the Highlanders of Scotland. The territory he regards as his own, 
and every thing on it, or which comes on it, as his lawful prey. 
His robberies are seldom attended with violence, except in the 
case of forcible resistance. It is " tribute" simply, he is after, 
and if that is paid all is well. If the right is recognized, and a 
bargain duly made, the permission which he then gives to pass 
through his territory is never violated ; strict faith being one of 
the best, as deadly revenge is one of the worst traits in his char- 
acter. 

Hospitality is one of the chief virtues of the Arabians. This 
once given, the welfare of his guest becomes his own. He will 
divide with him his last piece of bread, his last bowl of milk ; nay, 
he will expose himself to danger and death for the protection of 
his guest or friend. 

Respect to parents, reverence for the aged, kindness to the 
poor, are common virtues among the Arabs ; but hatred of ene- 
mies, the love of plunder, and of " bucksheesh" (gift-money), es- 
pecially among the Bedouins, excessive superstition, and contempt 
for women, are equally common. 

The Arabian is grave in his demeanor, but lively in his imagi- 
nation. His language is animated and picturesque. He is fond 
of j)oetry and song. One of the chief amusements is listening to 
the recitations or songs of wandering bards, usually in praise of 
some popular hero, accompanied with the JVebaba, a sort of guitar. 
Love odes, resembling those of the ancient Provencals or Trouba- 
dours, are in every mouth. Dancing is reckoned disgraceful to a 
man, but a woman piques herself on her skill in this " light" art, 
and trips it off, on the " fantastic toe," with amazing agility. The 
people generally are fond of public meetings, weddings, and other 
occasions of a similar character. Marriages and circumcisions 
(Mohammedan christenings, if the term may be allowed) are occa- 
sions of festivity. In the desert the latter ceremony is so arranged 
that all who have families may perform it at the same time, so 
that it becomes a season of general rejoicing. 

The inhabitants of the towns and more agricultural districts of 
Arabia differ considerably from the Bedouins. Some of them are 
wealthy, and even intelligent. The mass of the people are less 



444 THE WOELD WE LIVE EN". 



virtuous than tne occupants -of the desert. The cultivated spots 
of Arabia, which is generally rocky, the green oases of the desert, 
with their wells and palm-trees, and the productive regions of the 
south, are very fertile and beautiful. The whole population is 
supposed to amount to about twelve millions ; but the nomadic 
habits of most of the people make it difficult to estimate their real 
number. Without reckoning the Bedouin tribes, the number of 
which can hardly be ascertained, the settled parts of Arabia are 
divided into a great many independent governments. The Sultan 
of Turkey and the Pasha of Egypt exert a controlling influence 
in the country. The holy cities are nominally tinder the protec- 
tion of the Porte, but the Hedjaz and the desert of Sinai belong 
to Egypt. Mosques and school-houses are common in all the 
settled parts of the country, but no provision is made for the edu- 
cation of females. 

Owing to its position, the commerce of Arabia is very consid- 
erable. It is one, however, chiefly of transit. The pilgrimages 
are made subservient to purposes of trade. With the exception 
of coffee, and a few other articles of inferior consequence, Arabia 
has little to export. Great quantities of commodities, however, 
from foreign countries are brought to Djedda, Mecca, Muscat, the 
great centers of Arabian trade, partly by caravans, but chiefly by 
ships, and there sold to the pilgrims and merchants, and by them 
distributed, by sea or land, as the case may be. The slave-trade 
is carried on with considerable energy, particularly in Yemen and 
Muscat. Greek and Syrian female slaves are found for sale in 
the bazars. Emancipation, however, is quite common, and great 
numbers, especially of Abyssinian slaves, are incorporated in the 
families of the Arabs. Free or emancipated Africans, or their 
descendants, are also common in Arabia, though they have lost 
nearly all their distinctive features, particularly the woolly hair 
and thick lips, the dark color and the peculiar form of the head, 
indicating their origin. Slaves are considered part of the family, 
and may be appointed to posts of honor and trust. They are 
educated with the other children, from whom they are distin- 
guished only by a little different treatment, and the performance 
of some menial offices. 



PERSIA. 



445 



CHAPTER XXXII. 




Ruins ot Nineveh. 



Passing over to Suez, at the upper extremity of the Red Sea, 
we will join the caravan, on the overland route to India, taking 
Persia on our way. But before entering this ancient country, we 
will spend a short time at Mosul, on the banks of the Tigris, to 
look at the explorations of Mr. Layard, on the site of Nineveh, 



446 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



the once extensive and gorgeous capital of the Assyrian Empire. 
In the book of Jonah, Nineveh is spoken of as " an exceeding great 
city of three days' journey," to which the ruins exposed by Mr. 
Layard precisely correspond. It is described as having been 
eighteen miles long, and twelve broad, and sixty miles in circum- 
ference. Twenty miles is a day's journey in the East, so that the 
exact measurement is given by Jonah. According to Diodorus 
Siculus the walls of Nineveh were one hundred feet high, and so 
thick that three chariots might be driven abreast on them. On 
the wall rose fifteen hundred towers, each two hundred feet in 
hight. These walls were built of sun-dried brick, or of a rampart 
of clay encased with stone. They were built in eight years, by 
140,000 men. The population of the city in the time of the 
prophet Jonah is supposed to have been about 600,000. The 
kingdom of which it was the capital, occupying the center of the 
Eastern world, was rich and powerful. But it was idolatrous and 
vicious ; and Nineveh, the seat of power and splendor, fell under 
the curse of the Almighty. Hence, according to the prophet, it 
was to be utterly destroyed, " a desolation, and dry like the wil- 
derness." " And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the 
beasts of the nations, both the cormorant and the bittern, shall 
lodge in the upper lintels of it ; their voice shall sing in the win- 
dows ; desolation shall be in the thresholds ; for he shall uncover 
the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, 
that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me : how is 
she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in !" All 
this has been literally fulfilled. Nineveh was destroyed in the 
year 606 before Christ — less than one hundred and fifty years 
after Rome was founded. Twenty-five centuries has she been 
desolate — a mere heap of rubbish — almost forgotten except by 
the reader of the prophecies. Mounds of earth and rubbish cov- 
ered her magnificent palaces and temples. Wild beasts roamed 
above her sunken halls, and birds sang in trees which grew above 
her fretted windows and carved lintels. The camel of the Oriental 
traveler rested above the spot where her proud kings once sat 
upon thrones of ivory and gold, the glory and renown of which lay 
buried under the dust of ages. M. Botta, and especially Mr. 
Layard, assisted in his researches by the British government, have 
at last exposed to the light of day the stupendous relics of this 
gorgeous city ; and every thing thus far discovered confirms the 
prophetic statements. Part of the city was to be consumed by 
fire, according to the prophecy of Nahum : " The fire shall devour 
thy bars — then shall the fire devour thee." The explorations at 
Khorasabad accordingly have turned up various objects, glazed 



PERSIA. 447 

and charred by the action of fire. Ancient writers inform us, that 
when the proud and luxurious Sardanapalus, the last king of As- 
syria, found that there was no hope of victory over the besieging 
armies which pressed upon his capital, that, gathering all his 
wealth, his wife, and concubines, into a vast pile of timber, cover- 
ing four acres, he lay down himself in the place prepared for him, 
and was consumed by fire, leaving nothing but the crumbling re- 
mains, exposed, in the nineteenth century, to the examination of 
the curious. 

Among the objects discovered are slabs and monuments cov- 
ered with cuneiform characters ; figures in basso-relievo, some of 
which are engaged in battle, others carrying victuals for a banquet ; 
a king standing over a prostrate warrior ; gigantic marble statues 
of winged creatures ; beings representing the gods of the seasons, 
bearing in their hands appropriate emblems ; a figure, having a 
human body, with wings, and the head of an eagle or other raven- 
ous bird ; a huge lion, splendidly sculptured, with wings and a 
human head ; a king and his attendants, with bracelets, armlets, 
and weapons, on which are sculptured the heads of bulls and 
rams ; figures carrying presents or offerings on trays, such as 
armlets, bracelets, ear-rings, and so forth ; a figure accompanied 
by two monkeys held with ropes, representing the captives of a 
distant conquered nation bringing presents to their conquerors ; a 
human-headed, winged bull of yellow limestone ; sixteen small 
copper lions, of different sizes, diminishing in regular series, from 
a foot in length to about an inch ; with various other figures, rep- 
resenting castles, towers, battles, warriors, prisoners, lion hunts, 
as also symbols of power, wisdom, and eternity. More recent ex- 
plorations have brought to light other wonders, such as the ar- 
chives of the Assyrian Empire, sculptured on marble tablets, with 
many rare and curious objects, throwing light upon the character 
and history of the Assyrians. 

These immense winged, human-headed and lion-headed animals 
were connected with the temples, and represented symbolically 
the attributes of the divinities adored by the Assyrians. " I used 
to contemplate for hours," says Mr. Layard, " these mysterious 
emblems, and muse over their intent and history. What more 
noble forms could have ushered the people into the temple of 
their gods ? What more sublime images could have been bor- 
rowed from nature, by men who sought, unaided by the light of 
revealed religion, to embody their conception of the wisdom, 
power, and ubiquity of a Supreme Being? They could find no 
better type of intellect and knowledge than the head of man ; of 
strength, than the body of the lion ; of rapidity of motion, than 



448 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



the wings of the bird. These winged, human-headed lions, were 
not idle creations, the offspring of mere fancy ; their meaning was 
written upon them. They had awed and instructed races which 
flourished three thousand years ago. Through the portals which 
they guarded, kings, priests, and warriors had borne sacrifices to 
their altars, long before the wisdom of the East had penetrated to 
Greece, and had furnished its mythology with symbols long re- 
cognized by the Assyrian votaries. They may have been buried, 
and their existence may have been unknown, before the founda- 
tion of tbe eternal city. For twenty-five centuries they had been 
hidden from the eyes of man, and they now stood forth once 
more in their ancient majesty. But how changed was the scene 
around them ! The luxury and civilization of a mighty nation had 
given place to the wretchedness and ignorance of a few half-bar- 
barous tribes. The wealth of temples and the riches of great 
cities had been succeeded by ruins and shapeless heaps of earth. 
Above the spacious hall in which they stood, the plough had 
passed, and the corn now waved." — Layard's Nineveh, Vol. i. 
pp. 69, 70. 

Doubtless these mystic and imposing figures represented the 
abstract qualities of might and wisdom, but whether they pointed 
to one Supreme Divinity, or to many divinities, is a matter of con- 
jecture. If the former, their true import was lost as early as the 
days of the Hebrew prophets, who represent the Assyrians as 
the most inveterate idolaters. Various monuments on the Assy- 
rian sculpture, even now, prove that they adored the sun, moon, 
and stars. If they had any just conception of a Supreme Divin- 
ity, he was probably regarded only as the first among many, the 
Jupiter of the Assyrian mythology. The sun was the principal 
object of worship, originally as the symbol of the Supreme Jeho- 
vah, but subsequently " in and for itself," as the Baal, Bel, or 
Belus, whence the Greek term Apollo, or the sun-god. The mag- 
nificent bull-god, less appropriate and beautiful than the sun, or 
the Apollo of later times, was probably the symbol of divine 
power ; but the symbol itself, doubtless, took the place in the 
worship of the people, as the calf did in Israelitish idolatry, of 
the true and eternal Divinity. " These be thy gods," said Aaron 
— " thy Elohim," or God — " these be thy God {symbols of thy 
God), Israel." In all the tombs and temples of Nineveh are 
sculptured representations and inscriptions of these divinities — 
the chambers of idolatrous imagery, seen by Ezekiel in his pro- 
phetic visions. 

But we are wandering from our purpose, and we must hasten 
in our journey to the " far orient." The long mountain ranges of 



PERSIA. 



449 



Persia, or rather Iran, as the natives uniformly call it, with its 
vast arid plains, and, in some of its districts, rose-covered fields, 
receive us — a country in parts barren and repulsive, in others fer- 
tile and fair. Like Turkey, Persia is distinguished for the re- 
mains of ancient splendor, the ruins of large and beautiful cities, 
like that of Persepolis, for some time the capital of Persia, and 
the residence of her ancient monarchs. Though possessing some 




Persian Costume. 



fine regions, Persia is far from being the fertile and beautiful 
country which it is generally supposed to be. For, except in the 
wooded parts, which bear but a small proportion to the rest of the 
country, its appearance is dreary in the extreme, and lacks almost 
eveiy thing which gives beauty to an English or American land- 



450 THE WOELD WE LIVE EN". 



scape. " It has no green or grassy slopes, no parks nor inclosures, 
no hedges nor woods, no magnificent seats, or comfortable-looking 
cottages, and, excepting in spring, even the portions cultivated 
round the villages can hardly be distinguished from the brown, 
arid expanse that every where meets and fatigues the eye of the 
traveler. And if the reader will further figure to himself towns 
and villages, consisting mostly of mud houses, partly in a state of 
decay, and many of them wholly deserted ; roads, if we may so 
call wretched patbs, wholly impracticable for carriages, and un- 
safe even for horsemen ; property insecure, and tyranny and 
rapine every where lords of the ascendant ; he will be able to form 
a pretty accurate notion of the state of this celebrated country." 
— Fraser's Persia. 

Persia has some trade with India, Turkey, Russia, England, &c, in 
sugar, cashmere shawls, silk, iron, lead, copper, precious stones, &c. 

The government is an unmitigated, but ever-changing despot- 
ism. The throne is about as insecure as every thing else in the 
country. The inhabitants, amounting to ten or twelve millions, 
chiefly Persians, are of many races, Turks, Arabians, Turcomans, 
Moguls, Uzbecks, &c. The governors of the different districts, 
and the chiefs of petty tribes, are rapacious and cunning, though 
frequently courteous and polished in their manners. They affect 
state and ceremony, love fine clothes, and indulge in considerable 
parade and display. In general the Persians are an active, hand- 
some race, of lively imagination, and quick apprehension. They 
are not destitute of bravery, though their success in arms has de- 
pended, as among the Turks and Arabians, upon the character 
and resources of their leaders. The population is either nomadic 
or settled, with characteristics peculiar to each. The wandering 
tribes are wild and rapacious, the settled inhabitants active, versa- 
tile, selfish, and cunning. The towns-people, the Sheherees, as 
they are called, are a mingled race of all those who have ever 
conquered or had intercourse with Persia, grafted on the original 
stock, Turks, Tartars, Georgians, and Armenians. One remarka- 
ble class of court- dependents are the royal Gholaums, or body- 
guards, the confidential and devoted guardians of the monarch's 
person, whence the name Oholaum, or slave. Usually they are 
either Georgian captives, or the sons of respectable families. They 
are employed in secret and confidential services, and are much 
dreaded by the people, being servile, sensual, and domineering. 
The nobles of the court are great intriguers, being forced to dis- 
semble their feelings, and accomplish their objects by treachery. 
The ministers of state are selected from the Meezars, or men of busi- 
ness, and though less arrogant than the former, are equally venal. 



PERSIA. 451 

The Persians are Mohammedans of the sect called Schiites, or 
Sheahs, or of those who look upon Ali, the son-in-law of Moham- 
med, as his legitimate successor. They believe in a different 
apostolical succession from that of the Turks, and consequently 
both look upon each other as schismatics and errorists. The 
priesthood consists of various orders. They are very numerous 
and corrupt. Soofeism, another word for sophism, or philosophy, 
a speculative and modified form of religion, founded upon the an- 
cient pantheism of India, prevails to some extent. It is either 
entirely speculative, and thence skeptical, or mystical, and thence 
fanatical. The former is only a sort of refined Deism, without 
energy or life, speaking of the Koran with respect, as a book of. 
good morals ; the other is a religious quietism, or enthusiastic 
aspiration after the mysteries of divine love, but without laying 
any stress upon rules or dogmas. 

The religion of ancient Persia, modified by Zoroaster, or Zer- 
dusht, which acknowledges in the universe two antagonistical 
principles, light and darkness, the good and the bad, and wor- 
ships fire, heat, and light, still lingers to some extent in this 
country. Fire-worshipers are yet found here and there, but Soofe- 
ism, a sort of rationalistic mysticism, is likely to destroy all the 
other forms of belief, and prepare the way, we hope, for some 
higher and better system of religion. 

In former times the Persians paid much attention to education 
and literature. They had many schools and colleges, and some 
of their literary men became quite distinguished. Even now some 
attention is paid to literary pursuits. The schools, however, are 
poor, and the literature of the country meager and superficial. 
In the sciences they are infinitely behind the Europeans. In 
poetry, and the lighter forms of literature, they have made some 
progress. Imaginative and passionate, they abound in lyrics of 
very considerable beauty. In this department, indeed, they excel 
all the nations of the East, and possess some poets whose fame 
has extended beyond the boundaries of their native land. The 
names of Ferdousi and Saadi are not unknown even in Europe. 
In the mystical and lyrical strain, Hafez is particularly distin- 
guished. His mortal remains rest near the city of Shiraz, whose 
praises he has celebrated, not far from the tomb of Saadi, the 
moral and didactic poet of Persia, and near his favorite stream, 
the Roknabad. The tomb is in a small inclosure, whither the 
people of the place resort to sit under the shade of the old 
cypresses, recite the odes of their favorite bard, and draw omens 
from the pages of his works. 

A people fond of literature in its gentler aspects, cannot be 



452 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



altogether degraded. They must possess some elevation and re- 
finement of character. This is the case with the Persians, who, 
under more favorable auspices, might become one of the most 
interesting people in the world. At present, however, they have 
only some virtues, with many vices ; some knowledge and refine- 
ment, with much ignorance and superstition. They are active, 
and even enterprising, and yet fond of luxury and ease. " The 
same person who with the calcan in his mouth would appear to 
pass the day in a state of stupor, when roused into action, and 
mounted on his horse, will ride for nights and days without inter- 
mission. They are immoderately fond of tobacco and strong 
drink. The females are luxurious and languishing. They disfig- 
ure their natural charms by painting their faces, and sometimes 
also by tattooing their skins of various colors, while constant 
smoking spoils their teeth and mouths. They are secluded from 
observation, and in public are so dressed as to show nothing but 
their sparkling eyes. The Persian is restricted to four wives, but 
concubinage is permitted to any extent. But few, except the 
more wealthy, can indulge the expense which a multiplication of 
wives or concubines involves. Marriages are celebrated with great 
splendor, and often at ruinous expense. Children are taught to 
obey their superiors, and revere the aged, one of the most beau- 
tiful traits of Oriental character. They ' rise up at the hoary 
head, and honor the face of the old man.' " 

Before leaving Persia, we must not forget the JVestorians, occu- 
pying the mountains of Kurdistan, partly under the dominion of 
the Turkish, and partly under that of the Persian government. 
They call themselves Syrian, or Chaldean Christians, because 
they use the ancient Syrian in their religious service. They also 
possess the New Testament in this language, translated, they 
maintain, from the original, as early as the second century. On 
this ground they claim to be the most ancient of the sects, dating 
back their conversion to Christianity to apostolic times, and to 
the labors of the Apostle Thomas. Church historians, however, 
tell us that this ancient sect was formed in the fifth century, by 
the union of the adherents of Nestorius, who had been excommu- 
nicated on account of refusing to call the Virgin Mary the Mother 
of God, and to give up the doctrine of two natures in Christ, 
though this very doctrine was subsequently received into the 
creed of " the Orthodox Catholic Church." In the fifth century 
the Nestorians established their ecclesiastical constitution under 
the protection of the kings of Persia. The other Christians in 
Persia joined them in 499, and they gained many adherents in 
Eastern Asia, where the Christians of St. Thomas also joined 



PEKSIA. 453 

them. In the eleventh century they gained an important acces- 
sion in the conversion of the Tartar tribes, whose Christian ruler 
is known in history under the name of Prester John, who re- 
mained attached to Christianity and the Nestorian faith after hav- 
ing been reduced by Ghengis Khan under the dominion of the 
Moguls. Until the wars of Timour, in the fourteenth century, 
there existed also in Central and Northeastern Asia, Nestorian 
communities. 

The Nestorians are supposed to have carried Christianity as far 
as China, and in early times manifested much religious and mis- 
sionary zeal. In the western part of China, three thousand miles 
from Nestoria, a pillar has been discovered, some 1200 years old, 
covered with Syriac inscriptions, commemorating the triumphs of 
Christianity in China, through the labors of the Nestorian mission- 
aries who had visited that country. This noble missionary spirit 
continued to burn in the heart of this interesting people for centu- 
ries, until the triumph of Mohammedanism, by presenting the 
alternative of the Koran or death, gradually reduced the millions 
of Nestorians to the feeble remnant which now exists, consisting 
of some 300,000 to 400,000 souls. They have church edifices a 
thousand years old, and are governed by hereditary patriarchs, 
with bishops and priests ; and though greatly fallen from their 
primitive purity, and indulging in many superstitious notions, they 
maintain the great truths of Christianity, and are a noble, simple- 
hearted race. 

Under the labors of American missionaries, a vast and delight- 
ful change has taken place among the Nestorian churches. A 
pure gospel has been revived, and many of their priests, recon- 
verted, are preaching, with much eloquence and success, the sim- 
ple truths of Christianity. They are fine-looking men, with a 
Jewish cast of countenance, black hair, and dark eyes. The 
preachers are said to have an Oriental, figurative style of preaching, 
which is quite effective among their countrymen. Their influence 
in Asia must eventually be productive of great good, in the con- 
version and reformation of the people. 

Some imagine these Nestorians to be descendants of the lost 
tribes of Israel ; but of this, the evidence is by no means satisfac- 
tory, though their blood, as in the case of many Orientals, may be 
mingled with that of the Jewish race. They have suffered se- 
verely from the domination of petty chiefs, and, a few years ago, 
were almost decimated by a bloody massacre. Their prospects, 
however, are now more bright and cheering. 

But we must leave these interesting scenes, and journey east- 
ward. We shall be compelled to leave BeloocMstan on the one 



454 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



side, and Afghanistan on the other, and pass immediately into the 
country of the Hindoos, where the lineaments of character, national 
usages, and forms of religion, are all of the most fixed and striking 
character. The Affghans, indeed, lately subdued, under the power 
of the British government in India, which really controls all this 
part of the world, are quite an interesting race of people ; wild 
and savage, but possessing great energy of character ; violent and 
revengeful, as such people usually are, but, like the North Ameri- 
can Indians, brave, hospitable, and even generous, within certain 
limits. All persons, even a man's bitterest enemy, is safe under 
the protection of an Affghan's roof; but this protection extends 
not beyond the lands of the village, or, at most, of the tribe ; and 
it is not uncommon for the stranger, who has benefited by it, and 
experienced the kindest treatment, to be robbed and plundered, 
when once beyond its influence. " There is no point in the Aff- 
ghan character," says Mr. Elphinstone, who has written admirably 
on the kingdom of Cabul, and some of the neighboring countries, 
" of which it is more difficult to get a clear idea, than the mixture 
of sympathy and indifference, of generosity and rapacity, which is 
observable in their conduct to strangers. So much more do they 
attend to granting favors than to respecting rights, that the same 
Affghan who would plunder a traveler of his cloak, if he had one, 
would give him a cloak if he had none." In this, and several 
other particulars, they resemble the Arabs. They consist of an 
aggregation of tribes, some decidedly nomadic, and others more 
settled and civilized, with considerable diversity of customs, dress, 
and appearance. Generally, they are Mohammedans, of the Soo- 
nee persuasion, full of superstition, believing in alchemy, astrology, 
magic, and so forth. They are intermixed, however, with Par- 
sees, Hindoos, and Christians, whom they call " people of the 
book," as deriving their tenets from a written source, which they 
themselves respect, as Mohammedans, instead of being pagans, as 
the Hindoos. Soofeism, or free-thinking, is prevailing among the 
higher classes. Notwithstanding their superstition, tolerance is a 
national virtue, and the country presents an interesting field foi 
missionary labor. 



INDIA. 455 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

INDIA. 

The central and most important of the three peninsulas of the 
Asiatic continent, is India, a region of great extent and untold re- 
sources, almost touching the equator on the south, and on the 
north rising into snowy peaks, which pierce the heavens, at an 
altitude ranging from 15,000 to 27,000 feet, and passing through 
a climate varying from tropical heat to Arctic cold ; now present- 
ing vast wastes of barren sand, then fertile regions of exuberant 
beauty, with large tracts of jungle and forest, haunts of the hyena, 
the tiger, and the elephant. The Himalayas, or " Seats of Snow," 
the grandest mountain range in the world, on the north, and the 
Ghauts, smaller, but equally beautiful, further south, are the 
sources of its principal streams, the most noted of which is the 
sacred Ganges. The name of Punjaub, or " Land of Streams," 
which the natives apply to a small portion of Northern Hindostan, 
may be regarded as descriptive of one-half of the peninsula. The 
valley of the Ganges is " the most extensive and luxuriant on the 
face of the globe," being 400,000 square miles in extent ; the 
greater part of it susceptible of cultivation, and abounding in the 
diversified productions of Oriental climes. In the more southern 
regions, the heat is intolerable. In the north, and especially among 
the mountains, the climate is cool and invigorating. Excepting 
some high table-lands, and the mountain ranges, Southern India is 
level, consisting of immense areas of arid sand and dense jungle, 
with occasional rocks rising from the plain to the hight of a hun- 
dred or two hundred feet, " like icebergs in the northern seas." 
Upon these rocky summits, pagan temples are occasionally erected. 

Of seasons, there are only two in India — the one hot and dry, 
the other rainy, produced by the periodical winds called monsoons. 
The rain falls in torrents for a few weeks, often producing the most 
violent inundations. Spring, autumn, winter, it has none. Sum- 
mer pervades the year, the vegetation springing up and blossom- 
ing every month. The heat is so intense, that nature appears 
as if it had lost breath ; birds sometimes drop dead in the 
streets of Calcutta ; travelers pass the day in tents, journeying 
only by moonlight or starlight. In such a country, vegetation is 
rank and powerful ; all things, and human beings among the rest, 
arrive quickly at maturity. Disease and death, especially among 
foreigners, is rapid and frequent. Insects, annoying, destructive, 
and poisonous, every where abound, lurking under the mats, and 



456 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



often creeping into the beds. Ants (the white species), innumer- 
able and powerful, though comparatively small, eat up every thing 
upon which they lay their teeth — clothes, food, books, paper, and 
furniture. Nothing but stone, iron, or mortar will arrest their 
progress. Moving, like an army, just beneath the surface, they 
carry every thing before them. Cobra- capellos lurk among the 
trees and bushes. Fireflies illumine the night. They glitter 
among the boughs of the banyan-tree, or dance around the spread- 
ing tamarind, producing a peculiar but pleasing effect. 

In India, the rhinoceros and the elephant are numerous, the latter 
being very large, and, when duly tamed, quite serviceable. Some- 
times, though not of late years as much as formerly, they are 
used in hunting the tiger and other wild animals ; but the sport is 
dangerous. Though a mild and timid animal naturally, the ele- 
phant, when aroused, exhibits tremendous energy. He receives 
the tiger on his tusks, tosses him into the air, and tramples him 
under foot. The cheeta, or Indian panther, is often used in hunting 
antelopes, and so forth, much as greyhounds are used in Europe in 
hunting hares. 

Buffaloes and cows are common in this country. The Indian 
bull, or Brahminee bull, is a sacred animal, mild and gentle, but 
troublesome, being a genuine loafer, lounging about the markets 
and bazars, and eating up whatever suits his fancy. To kill such 
an animal is an unpardonable offence. The most agile and daring 
of all the wild animals of India is the Bengal tiger — large, elastic, 
beautiful, and fierce, bounding upon its prey, with tremendous 
energy, a distance, it is said, of a hundred feet and more. Snakes 
and monkeys every where abound. Indeed, India may be said to 
be the natural home of the monkey tribe. Among other things, 
advantageous to the propagation of these creatures, is the fact, 
that they are sacred animals. Gorgeous temples have been erected 
to their honor, one of which, in the island of Ceylon, when plun- 
dered by the Portuguese, contained an ape's tooth, encased in 
pure gold ! In Ahmenabad, are three hospitals for monkeys ! 

Much of the scenery of India, of course, is repulsive, but large 
portions are of gorgeous beauty. The majestic teak, the graceful 
bamboo, and other varieties of palms ; the gorgeous banyan, or In- 
dian fig-tree ; the beautiful babul-tree, whose flowers emit a de- 
lightful fragrance, with innumerable flowering shrubs and other 
plants of tropical splendor, give an air of richness and magnificence 
to the landscape. Green grass, of course, is burned up by the 
intense heat. A European soon becomes tired of the monoto- 
nous brilliancy of the scene. The heat of the sun is oppressive and 
exhausting, and one longs for the coolness and freshness of north- 



INDIA. 457 

em climes, where the beauty of the landscape, less gorgeous and 
striking, is more natural and agreeable. Among the Ghauts of 
India, however, and in some of the high table-lands in their 
vicinity, the scenery is more like that of Europe, and thither 
foreigners often repair to invigorate their languid frames, amid the 
coolness and verdure of the mountains. In one of these mountain 
ranges there is an immense waterfall, having a depth of 1150 feet 
— four times deeper than Niagara. In the warmer and more level 
regions, artificial tanks, filled with water, are universal. The fan 
and the bath are in constant and daily use. The houses are con- 
structed of light materials ; if possible, on elevated spots, or where 
they can catch the sea-breeze, with open windows and verandas, 
which woo the wandering zephyr. 

The population of India is estimated at 150,000,000, divided 
into numerous tribes, speaking different languages, and using dif- 
ferent customs. Of these, the native Hindoos number about 
138,000,000, who, though differing among themselves in appear- 
ance, manners, and even language, profess the same religion. The 
Mohammedans, descended from those who, in former times, invaded 
the country from the west, number about 10,000,000. They are 
said to be cold, bigoted, and repulsive. Their mosques, with 
beautiful and aspiring minarets, are to be seen throughout the 
leading cities and towns of the country. Superior to the Hindoos 
in energy, they thrive by craft and industry. A third class of 
Indian population is composed of the mixed descendants of Euro- 
peans and natives, sometimes called Indo Britains, or Eurasians, 
said to be indolent and fond of show, but improving in character and 
condition. They are scattered over the country, to the number of 
400,000 or 500,000. The foreign residents amount to some 50,000. 

India is under the domination of Great Britain, as already stated. 
Its conquest is one of the most stupendous events of the age. The 
British never employed a larger force than 37,000 European troops, 
while the native Hindoo ranks have sometimes numbered over 
250,000, paid by the former. With this they have subdued mil- 
lions, and secured a territory equal in extent to the whole of 
Europe, exclusive of Russia. " Who, then," asks a Swedish 
writer, in surprise, " is the conqueror, who the ruler, of this im- 
mense empire, over which the sun extends so gloriously his glitter- 
ing rays, that has risen on the continent of Asia as if by enchant- 
ment, and now emulates in greatness that of Alexander, Nadir 
Shah, or Tamerlane ? Why, on a little island in another part of 
the world, in a narrow street, where the rays of the sun are seldom 
able to penetrate the thick smoke, a company of peaceable mer- 
chants meet — these are the conquerors of India — these the des- 

20 



458 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



potic rulers of this splendid empire." Doubtless, much wrong haa 
been done, in the progress of this vast conquest. Intrigue and 
oppression have been too often resorted to ; and blood, innocent 
blood, perhaps, has flowed in torrents. But the country was ripe 
for revolution. The old despots of India had grown sensual and 
luxurious, oppressive and cruel. The whole land groaned, and, 
indeed, yet groans, under the slavery of caste. Woman was de- 
graded, and religion was one huge, overshadowing despotism of 
the soul. The rajahs, or petty chiefs, and great men of the coun- 
try, were tyrants as well as slaves ; and the common people, those 
especially of the lowest class, were degraded by vice. A loath- 
some licentiousness in religion and in social life pervaded all ranks 
of society. It is well that such an organization, hoary with age 
and iniquity, should be dashed to pieces ; well, that a new and 
more powerful element of civilization should be introduced, to re- 
suscitate and reform society. The Hindoos themselves admit that 
they are now better governed than they ever were before. Life 
and property are safe. Caste is giving way. Infanticide and 
widow-burning are abolished. Above all, Christianity is intro- 
duced, and thousands of the Hindoos have been converted. Brah- 
minism, with its vast and horrid superstitions, is on the wane. 
Many who have not yet embraced Christianity have abandoned 
their idolatry, and are inquiring for the truth. Churches have 
been formed ; and in Calcutta, not less than 1200 young men, in 
a single seminary (Dr. Duff's), are receiving a European and 
Christian education. 

India is governed by a commission ; and though the rajahs of 
some of the provinces seem to be independent, and affect the air 
of free sovereigns, they are all under the control of British power. 

There are in India quite a number of wild and savage tribes, at 
once degraded and superstitious, among whom human sacrifices 
are yet practised. 

The Bengal Hurkaru mentions a government act to suppress 
hum,an sacrifices in the hill tracts of Orissa, and then gives a 
shocking account of the manner in which the victims are pro- 
cured and slaughtered. Surely " the dark places of the earth 
are full of the habitations of cruelty." 

The wild hill-tribes appear to exhibit the remnants of three abo- 
riginal races — the Koles, the Khunds, and the Saurabs. The 
Koles prevail chiefly in the northern parts, the Khunds in the 
middle region, and the Saurabs in the south. 

Now, it is among the Khunds, the largest and most numerous 
of these races, that the horrid practice of human sacrifices was 
found so widely and systematically to prevail. It is to propitiate 



INDIA. 459 

the earth-god — the greatest of the Khund deities — that the san- 
guinary rite is performed. It is considered necessary that " every 
farm should share the blood of a human victim at the time when 
each of the principal crops is laid down, while a harvest oblation 
is deemed scarcely less necessary than a spring sacrifice ; and it is 
considered in the last degree desirable that several offerings, ac- 
cording to the promise of the year, should intervene betwixt them." 
Besides these regular periodical offerings, there are others con- 
stantly demanded by special events and circumstances. The 
prevalence of unusual sickness, the visitation of an epidemic, the 
ravages of wild beasts, droughts, famines, or, in a word, an ex- 
traordinary calamity of any kind, whether affecting individuals or 
the community at large — all, all are believed to call for public ex- 
piation or atonement with human blood, to avert the supposed 
wrath of that dread deity, the earth-god. 

From the 'fluctuating variety of circumstances that may lead to 
the performance of these bloody sacrifices, it is plainly impossible 
to form a precise estimate of their annual average. In one small 
valley, two miles long, and less than three-quarters of a mile in 
breadth, Captain McPherson reports that he " discovered seven 
victims, whose immolation was temporarily prevented by the vicin- 
ity of the British troops, but it was to take place immediately after 
their departure." One thing, therefore, is very certain, and that 
is, that the number annually sacrificed must amount to many hun- 
dreds, and probably even to thousands ; opening up a spectacle of 
barbarism, in the very heart of the Indo-British dominions, which 
no humane spirit can contemplate without a thrill of horror. 

The unhappy victims are known, in the Khund language, under 
the designation of " Merias." They do not, as Captain McPherson 
ascertained, consist of native Khunds, but are pi'ovided by a class 
of Hindoo procurers, called Panwas, who purchase them, without 
difficulty, upon false pretences, or kidnap them from the poorer 
classes of Hindoos in the low country, either to the order of the 
Abbayas, or Khund priests, or upon speculation. When conveyed 
to the mountains, their price is determined by the demand, varying 
at from fifty to a hundred lives — i. e., of sheep, cows, fowls, pigs, 
&c. A few are always, if possible, kept in reserve in each district, 
to meet sudden demands for atonement. Victims of either sex are 
equally acceptable to the earth-god — children, whose age pre- 
cludes a knowledge of their situation, being, for convenience sake, 
preferred. From the moment the victim is bought, he is regarded 
as a consecrated being, and treated with all imaginable respect, till 
the fated hour for immolation arrives. 

The ceremonies observed on the occasion of a sacrifice are com- 



460 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



plicated, and extend over three days, accompanied with drinking, 
feasting, music, dancing, and obscene riot. We can only refer to 
the termination of the tragic scene. In the neighborhood of each 
village or hamlet there is a clump of deep and shadowy forest- 
trees, kept sacred from the axe, and studiously avoided by the 
Khund, as haunted ground : this is the chosen place for the sacri- 
fice — this is the Meria grove. The particular spot of the grove 
being selected, the victim is, on the third day, conducted to it. 
As he " must not suffer bonds, nor, on the other hand, exhibit any 
show of resistance, the bones of his arms, and, if necessary, those of 
his legs, are now broken in several places. The priest, assisted by 
others, then takes the branch of a green tree, which is cleft at a 
distance of several feet down the center. They insert the Meria 
within the rift, fitting it, in some districts, to his chest, in others 
to his throat. Cords are next twisted round the open extremity 
of the stake, which the priest, aided by his assistants, strives with 
his whole force to close. All preparations being now concluded, 
about noon the priest gives the signal, by slightly wounding the 
victim with his axe. Instantly the promiscuous crowd, that ere- 
while had issued forth with stunning shouts and pealing music, 
rush with maddening fury upon the sacrifice. Wildly exclaiming, 
' We bought you with a price, and no sin rests on us !' they tear 
his flesh in pieces from the bones ! And thus the horrid rite is 
consummated ! Each man then bears away his bloody shreds to his 
fields, and from thence returns straight home. For three days 
after the sacrifice, the inhabitants of the village which afforded it 
remain dumb, communicating with each other only by signs, and 
remaining unvisited by strangers. At the end of this period, a 
buffalo is slaughtered at the place of sacrifice, when all tongues 
are loosened." 

Dr. Sutton, of the Orissa mission, stated, when in this country, 
that over 600 young persons, mostly kidnapped children, had been 
rescued from the Khunds by the British government. 

Every one has heard of the Thugs, a race of religious murder- 
ers in India. They are called Thugs, or Deceivers, and Phansi- 
gars, or Stranglers. They are bound together by the ties of su- 
perstition. The profession is hereditary, and it is supposed that 
not less than ten thousand of the order are trained to murder from 
their childhood. They go in gangs of ten to forty, and even two 
hundred, each gang a different route, and meet at a general place 
of rendezvous to divide their plunder. A solitary traveler is sure 
to be strangled, but their highest game is a wealthy caravan of 
forty or fifty individuals. Here is the way in which they accom- 
plish their purposes : 



INDIA. 461 

Upon approaching a town, or serai, two or three, known as the 
soothaes, or " inveiglers," are sent in advance, to ascertain if any 
travelers are there ; to learn, if possible, the amount of money or 
merchandise they carry with them, their hours of starting in the 
morning, or any other particulars that may be of use. If they 
can, they enter into conversation with them, pretend to be travel- 
ing to the same place, and propose, for mutual security, to travel 
with them. This intelligence is duly communicated to the remain- 
der of the gang. The place usually chosen for the murder is some 
lonely part of the road in the vicinity of a jungle, and the time, 
just before dusk v . At given signals, understood only by them- 
selves, the scouts o the party station themselves in the front, in 
the rear, and on each side, to guard against surpi'ise. A stran- 
gler and assistant strangler, called Bhurtote and Shamshea, place 
themselves, the one on the right, and the other on the left of the vic- 
tim, without exciting his suspicion. At another signal the noose 
is twisted, drawn tightly by a strong hand at each extremity, and 
the traveler, in a few seconds, hurried into eternity. Ten, twelve, 
twenty, and, in some instances, sixty persons, have been thus dis- 
patched at the same moment. Should any victim, by a rare 
chance, escape their hands, he falls into those of the scouts, who 
are stationed within hearing, who run upon him, and soon over- 
power him. 

There is a kind of river Thugs, called Pungoos. They go up 
and down the rivers in all sorts of disguises, and keep their " in- 
veiglers" out on the watch in all directions. The captain of the 
boat is a Thug, who, at the proper time, strikes off into the mid- 
dle of the stream, gives three raps on deck as the signal for mur- 
der, when the noose is thrown, and the strangled victim is plunged 
into the water through a hole always kept open for the purpose. 

There are regular steps of promotion in the fraternity of Thugs. 
The initiate is first a scout, then a sexton, then a holder of hands, 
and lastly a strangler, the hight of the disciple's ambition. The 
Gooroo, or preceptor, first practises his pupil upon a solitary trav- 
eler, presenting him the holy knot, or tied handkerchief, as he 
stands over the sleeping victim, by the side of a holder of hands. 
The traveler awakes only to be strangled by the experimenting 
preceptor, for the benefit of the initiate. The following is the 
legend upon which the Thugs found the origin of their bloody 
fraternity : 

They believe that, in the earliest ages of the world, a gigantic 
demon infested the earth, and devoured mankind as soon as they 
were created. He was of so tall a stature, that, when he strode 
through the most unfathomable depths of the great sea, the waves, 



462 THE WORLD WE LIVE LIST. 



even in tempest, could not reach above his middle. His insatiable 
appetite for human flesh almost unpeopled the world, until Bha- 
wanee, Kalee, or Davee, the goddess of the Thugs, determined to 
save mankind by the destruction of the monster. Nerving herself 
for the encounter, she armed herself with an immense sword, and, 
meeting with the demon, she ran him through the body. His 
blood flowed in torrents as he fell dead at her feet ; but from every 
drop there sprang up another monster, as rapacious and as ter- 
rible as the first. Again the goddess upraised her massive sword, 
and hewed down the hellish brood by hundreds ; but the more 
she slew, the more numerous they became. Every drop of their 
blood generated a demon ; and, although the goddess endeavored 
to lap up the blood ere it sprang into life, they increased upon her 
so. rapidly, that the labor of killing became too great for endurance. 
The perspiration rolled down her arms in large drops, and she was 
compelled to think of some other mode of exterminating them. 
In this emergency, she created two men out of the perspiration of 
her body, to whom she confided the holy task of delivering the 
earth from the monsters. To each of the men she gave a hand- 
kerchief, and showed them how to kill without shedding blood. 
From her they learned to tie the fatal noose ; and they became, 
under her tuition, such expert stranglers, that, in a very short 
space of time, the race of demons became extinct. 

The Megpunnas are a peculiar branch of the Thugs. They 
murder travelers, not for their money, but for their children, whom 
they sell into slavery. They go about taking their wives and 
children with them as " inveiglers," who are sent in advance for 
this purpose. The children of those murdered are, if beautiful, 
sold at Delhi for the most loathsome ends, and, if ill-favored, for 
servants. 

The government has been at work since 1826 to extirpate these 
monsters, but it has not yet succeeded. During the first ten 
years, 1562 were accused, of whom 328 were hanged, 999 trans- 
ported, and the rest imprisoned for life or terms of years. It is 
calculated that, even now, notwithstanding these efforts of govern- 
ment, at least ten thousand Thugs are yet engaged in murders, 
and that thirty thousand persons annually become their victims. 

In addition to the classes of persons already named, one meets 
in India with Arabs, " the horse-jockeys of the country, shrewd, 
daring, and unscrupulous ;" Parsees, or fire-worshipers, descend- 
ants of the original inhabitants of Persia ; Chinese adventur- 
ers, importers, merchants, and peddlers ; and, at the southern 
extremity of the country, Jews, who for centuries have main- 
tained the unity of God, and the peculiar customs of their 



INDIA. 463 

race, amid the universal prevalence of idolatry. These last are 
divided into ancient, or black, and modern, or white, Jews. There 
are also some Syrian Christians in this part of India, converts, 
probably, of the ancient Nestorians. 

Several hundred missionaries, of various denominations, are 
laboring, with marked success, in India. Thousands have been 
converted to the Christian faith, which is destined to a rapid and 
universal triumph in this interesting country. 

The Hindoos, to whom we propose principally to direct our at- 
tention, are of different races, mostly Caucasian or Mongolian, and 
thence differing somewhat in personal appearance, though possess- 
ing some leading traits in common. Their complexion is of differ- 
ent shades, from a jet black to a light brown ; their forms slender 
and elastic — upon the whole, especially in the females, graceful, as 
well as agile ; the face oval, with a forehead of ordinary bight, but 
not lofty or commanding ; the eyes soft, lustrous, and languid, 
eyebrows well formed, nose and mouth of the Caucasian cast, and 
the hair long, black, and wiry, though not inclined to curl. The 
expression is soft and agreeable, with a dash of selfishness and 
craft, indicating the universal and deep-rooted hypocrisy which 
prevails among them. They are inferior, in strength and appear- 
ance, to the European race, having longer and projecting ears, a 
greater softness of fiber, and less frankness of demeanor. But 
their fiery climate and long degradation account for their inferiority. 

The women of the higher classes are said to be somewhat beau- 
tiful, with graceful forms, hair long and fine, eyes dark and ex- 
pressive, and skins soft and polished. The women of the lower 
classes are degraded in form and character, by rough usage and 
menial service. 

Corpulency is not unfrequent, produced by the free use of ghee 
and other oily articles of food, rotundity being considered a beauty 
by the natives. 

Many of the common people, particularly the Coolies and palan- 
quin bearers, are remarkable for their agility and power of endur- 
ance. They are only inferior to horses, in the rapidity with which 
they pass over the ground. What they want in strength, they 
make up by numbers and perseverance. Generally, however, the 
Hindoos are an easy, pliant, dreamy race, who love rest and rev- 
ery. Their forms are slender — their energies languid. They 
yield readily to superior force and authority ; hence their easy 
subjection by a foreign power. Life, in any form, is sacred to 
the Hindoos, so that they live exclusively upon vegetables, fruits, 
&c„ 

Their faces are all marked, more or less, in lines and circles, with 



464 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



a paste made of sandal-wood and cow's manure, to indicate that 
they are disciples of Brahminism. The direction of the lines dis- 
tinguishes them as Vishnuvites or Sivites, the two great sects into 
which the popular faith is divided. This is sacredly renewed 
every morning, as its absence would subject them to the contempt 
and persecution of their countrymen. Converts to Christianity, of 
course, abandon the practice, so that Christians are instantly known 
by the absence of the sacred mark. Females put it on their fore- 
head, while the fakeers and other pagan devotees " besmear their 
whole visible person with the whitened dust." 

The dress of the Hindoos, suitable to the climate, is not inele- 
gant. The men are dressed in a loose piece of white cloth, wound, 
without any kind of buttons or bandages, close about the waist, 
and falling below the knee, with a second of finer material thrown 
across the shoulders. The hair is shaved close, with a tuft at the 
rear of the head, the removal of which is regarded as a peculiarly 
shameful act. The common people leave the head bare, but the 
higher classes wear a turban. Sandals turning up at the toes, and 
open at the heel, are worn to protect the feet. The toes are kept 
exposed, on account of their utility, the Hindoo using them about 
as much as his fingers, and, indeed, calling them feet fingers. With 
these he assists his hand fingers in cutting, carving, holding, 
wrenching, and so forth ! Gentlemen wear ornaments of finger- 
rings, ear-drops, a band about the arms, and, after marriage, a 
small band around the toe. 

The ladies of Hindostan wear a more showy and graceful dress 
than the men, consisting of various pieces, the principal of which 
falls in elegant folds around the body. It is simple and becoming, 
often of rich materials, and set off with jewels. " Upon each 
wrist are bracelets of silver, conch-shell, or glass, called bangles, 
numbeiing from five to twenty. Pendents of gold, of less valu- 
able material, are suspended from the ear to the shoulder, and 
hooks through the nose reach to the chin. Bands of silver, of 
much weight, encircle the arms and ankles. On two or more of 
the toes is a silver ring, one of which emits a tinkling sound when 
the wearer is walking. Around the neck are hung strings of large 
beads, of coral or glass, with collars set with small gems and pre- 
cious stones. Married ladies wear about the neck the tartt, which 
is either a band of gold richly chased, or a silk network entwined 
with silver cord. This is put on at the bridal ceremony, and is 
not removed till the husband's death. The long black hair, neatly 
combed, and made glossy with oil, is rolled up in a tasteful man- 
ner, and placed a little in the rear of the left ear. The face is 
daily covered with a solution of saffron in water, which produces 



INDIA. 465 

the effect of concealing the lady's age. The eyelashes are ex- 
tended by means of a little paint, and the teeth reddened by a 
masticatory common in the country. An India lady's jewels are 
called " her joys," and large sums are annually expended by hus- 
bands and fathers in their purchase.* 

Children have but the slightest clothing till their fifth or sixth 
year, though often decorated with jewels. These tempt the cupidity 
of robbers, who sometimes mutilate the bodies of sleeping females 
and children to gain possession of these valuable trinkets. But 
an Indian female would rather be destitute of virtue than of orna- 
ments. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



INDIA, CONTINUED. 

In this chapter, we will continue our account of the Hindoos, 
and add some notices of India beyond the Ganges. 

The Hindoos are by no means a barbarous people. In ancient 
times especially, they made considerable progress in the arts, and 
in some departments of science, mingled, indeed, with much ex- 
travagance and superstition. Many of their sages were familiar 
with arithmetic, geometry, and even algebra. They indulged in 
subtle and elaborate speculations on the nature of things, though 
constantly losing themselves in the abyss of pantheism. Their 
religion, indeed, is founded upon this idea. They recognize the 
unity and identity of the universe ; but not distinguishing God 
from his works, they deify the whole. Hence, to them the uni- 
verse, external as well as internal, is God, and worthy, therefore, 
of supreme worship. Their primal and universal deity is Brahm, 
who is simply being or essence, without intelligence, will, love, 
consciousness, or purpose. The term is in the neuter gender, in- 
dicating the negative mode of his existence, and to be distinguished 
from Brahma, the first god of the Hindoo triad. He is thus, like 
the god of Hegel and the German pantheists, a boundless abstrac- 
tion, an infinite negative — that is, an infinite nothing ! 

* Ward. 
20* 



466 



THE WOKLD "WE LIVE IS. 




Missionary Preaching to the Natives. 



From Brahm come the incarnations of Brahma, Vishnu, and 
Siva, the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer of all. 

The generation, history, productions, and exploits of these dei- 
ties, are represented by the most extravagant, and even licentious 
symbols, allegories, and fables. Brahma is the creator, and is 
usually represented as a man ■with four faces, riding on a swan, 
and holding in one of his four hands a portion of the Vedas, or 
sacred books ; one is raised, as if for protection, and another de- . 
clined, as bestowing a gift. He is reputed originally to have had 
five heads, one of which has been lost ; in what way, his biogra- 
phers differ in opinion. At any rate, it was a cause of degra- 
dation. He has but one temple in the land, and is little wor- 
shiped. 

Vishnu is figured as a blue man, riding on a skate, holding in 
his hands a war-club, conch-shells, a weapon called chakra, and a 



INDIA. 467 

water-lily. He is the pervader and preserver, and has had sev- 
eral incarnations, as for example, those of a fish, a tortoise, a boar, 
a man-monster, a dwarf, a giant, a white horse, &c, in which ca- 
pacities he performed wonderful exploits, some of which are gro- 
tesque enough, and by no means virtuous. Siva is the destroyer, 
and appears as a silver-colored man, with five heads, and eight 
hands, in six of which are severally a skull and other objects. In 
his forehead is a third eye, with " perpendicular corners," ear-rings 
of snakes, and a collar of skulls. Siva drowns and remodels the 
earth, being reproducer as well as destroyer. One form in which 
Siva is worshiped is as the lingum, a licentious figure, exposed to 
public view the country over ! Siva, in this besotted land, is a great 
favorite, having many worshipers. One of his consorts is the 
sanguinary Kalee, greatly feared, and worshiped with obscene 
and bloody rites. Kalee is the very demon of vengeance, and is 
represented with horrid aspect, standing with one foot upon the 
chest of her husband, whom she has thrown down in a fit of 
anger, her blood-covered tongue hanging out of her mouth, 
adorned with skulls, and the hands of her enemies suspended 
from her girdle. The blood of a tiger delights her for ten years, 
of a human being for one thousand years. She loves to see her 
votaries hack and hew their persons ; their blood is a pleasant 
offering. She is the especial friend of thieves and murderers, who 
invoke her aid in deeds of violence. The swinging festival, in 
which a devotee is swung round upon a pole, from which he hangs 
suspended by the skin of his back, is intended to propitiate her 
favor. Of course she is pleased with infanticide, " passing through 
the fire," and death under the cars of Juggernaut. No deity in 
India is more sedulously and more generally worshiped than this 
Moloch of the Hindoo faith. 

As Brahmnism is founded upon pantheism, all things become 
objects of worship. The Hindoo Triad has given origin to innu- 
merable gods. They are numbered by millions and millions ; in- 
deed, they may be said to be infinite. Men and monkeys, the 
priests and the temples, the sun, moon, and stars, the earth, the 
rivers, the sea, the winds, the seasons, the rainbow, all are gods. 
The banyan-tree, the margosa, and other trees and herbs are 
favorite deities. The Shalagrama, a black schistous stone, is wor- 
shiped as a god. The Hindoos say that one of the wives of their 
god Vishnu was metamorphosed into a plant, and that Vishnu to 
show his affection for her, himself took the form of the black 
stone, in order to keep by her side. From that time they have 
worshiped the Shalagrama. 

Few usages of the Hindoo worship are better known than the 



468 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



worship of Juggernaut, the hideous idol under whose feet the 
Hindo devotee formerly cast himself, and was crushed to death. 
This, as well as the Suttee, or burning of widows on the funeral 
pile of their husbands, has been suppressed by the government ; 
but the festival itself is still kept up. 

The literature of the Hindoos corresponds to a great extent to 
their religious system and usages. Their sacred books are very 
numerous, and not only so, but excessively voluminous, giving, as 
Sir William Jones suggests, the idea of immensity. The princi- 
pal are the Veds, Puranas, and Institutes of Menu. The first, ac- 
cording to the Hindoos, issued directly from the mouth of Brah- 
ma, at the time of creation, in an entire state, and spread all over 
the world by his ten sons, the rishis or prophets. They are four — 
Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Athurwana, containing accounts of astron- 
omy, astrology, natural philosophy, divination, history of creation, 
religious and moral duties, hymns to the Supreme Being, to the 
sun, stars, elements ; rites, fasts, purifications, penances, pilgrim- 
ages, sacrifices, prayers, incantations. They were probably writ- 
ten at different times, but collected and arranged by the famous 
penitent Vyasa, in the fourteenth century B.C. They are written 
in an ancient form of Sanscrit, which is understood only by the 
more learned of the Brahmins. They are forbidden to any caste 
but the Brahmins, who, however, may read them, with certain 
precautions to the Kshatriyas, the second caste. 

Then there are Upa- Veds, or secondary Veds, derived from the 
four original Veds. They treat of the theory and practice of medi- 
cine, music, archery, architecture, and sixty-four mechanical arts. 
The Vedangas, or bodies of learning, treating of grammar, astron- 
omy, mathematics, signification of difficult words in the Veds, 
ceremonies, &c. The Puranas, eighteen in number, were written, 
it is supposed, between the eighth and sixteenth centuries, A. D., 
in Sanscrit, but few are translated into the vernacular languages, 
and those that are, are in the high poetic dialect. They treat of 
cosmogony, chronology, geography, astronomy, history and ex- 
ploits of the gods, goddesses, heroes, &c, nature of the soul, and 
method of obtaining salvation. They are the chief source whence 
the Hindoos derive their notions of religion. 

The Institutes of Menu, a work of high authority, contain a 
code of laws founded on the Veds, and are supposed to have 
been written in the ninth century B. C. There are also the Aga- 
mas, Tantras, and Muntras, highly metaphysical works. There 
are also the Ramayana and Mahabharat, the two great classica 
epics of India, believed to be of divine origin. The former re- 
counts the exploits of Vishnu, incarnate in the person of Rama, 



INDIA. 469 

who invaded Ceylon with his army of monkeys ; the latter those 
of Vishnu in the form of Krishna. The four Veds form eleven 
folio volumes. Ramayana contains 100,000 stanzas, of four lines 
each, Mahabharat four times that number, and the Puranas two 
millions of lines. 

The following is a brief abstract of their system of geography 
and astronomy. There are three worlds — heaven above, earth be- 
low, and ether between. The number of worlds, however, is 
commonly put at fourteen — seven inferior, or below our world, and 
seven superior, including our own as the first. This is described 
to be circular or flat, like the flower of the water-lily, in which 
the petals project beyond each other. The habitable part con- 
sists of seven circular islands, or continents, each surrounded by a 
different ocean. The seven seas are those of salt water, sugar- 
cane juice, wine, ghee, curds, milk, and fresh water. Beyond this 
last ocean is an uninhabited country of pure gold, 'more extensive 
than all the islands, with their oceans, and surrounded by a wall 
of very high mountains. The central island, which we inhabit, 
called Jambu-dwipa, is several hundred thousand miles in diame- 
ter, and the surrounding sea is of the same breadth. The second 
is double the diameter of the first, and so the sea. Each of the 
others is double the diameter of the preceding. The diameter of 
the earth is several hundred thousand millions of miles, more than 
the distance between the earth and the sun. In the center of 
Jamba- dwip is Mount Meru (Himalaya), in the form of an in- 
verted pyramid, the highest of mountains, several hundred thou- 
sand miles high. " Its hight is 84,000 yojanas,* and its depth 
16,000 below the surface of the earth. Its diameter at the sum- 
mit is 32,000 yojanas, and at its base 16,000." Its summit is 
surmounted by three cones, and on the highest of these are three 
golden peaks, on which reside the Hindoo Triad. At the base 
are four lofty hills, on each of which grows a mango-tree, several 
thousand miles high, and bearing fruit many hundred cubits large. 
The second superior world lies between us and the sun, which is 
said to be only a few hundred thousand miles. The third is the 
space between the sun and the polar star. In this are the stars 
and planets. The moon is placed beyond the sun as far as the 
sun is from the earth. Next come the stars Mercury, Venus, 
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Ursa-Major, and the Pole-star, which is 



* A yojana is 8 miles. Diameter of Meru then is 128,000 miles at the 
base. Hight 672,000 — three times the distance of the moon from the 
earth. 



470 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



27,000,000 miles from the earth. The remaining four worlds 
beyond the Pole-star rise one above the other. In the seventh, 
or highest, is the residence of Brahma. 

Besides the seven planets known from the remotest antiquity, 
there are two invisible dragons, Raku and Kethu, which by seiz- 
ing and devouring the sun and moon, produce eclipses. 

The most ancient division of the ecliptic was into 28, afterward 
27 parts, similar to the lunar mansions of the Arabs, each 13° 
20', to each of which was assigned its proper deity. Afterward 
the zodiac and ecliptic were divided into signs and degrees the 
same as ours. 

The year of the Hindoos is 365 days, 15 of their hours, 31 
minutes, 14 seconds. Day, reckoned from sunrise to sunrise, con- 
tains 60 hours, and divided into 8 parts of 7-| hours each. Brah- 
mins are acquainted with the sun-dial, and use it for drawing 
meridians, fixing the sites of pagodas, and learning the latitude of 
towns by a comparison of the length of the shadow with the 
bight of the instrument on the day of the equinox. 

Eclipses are calculated with tolerable accuracy, according to 
tables and rules formed at a very remote period, and which evi- 
dently required a knowledge of geometry and arithmetic. 

The following is a view of their Chronology. There are four 
yugs or ages : the first was the age of innocence or truth, and 
embraces 1,728,000 years ; the second, 1,296,000 ; the third, 
864,000 ; and the last, 432,000. These are the golden, silver, 
brazen, and iron ages. We live in the last, or ICali-jng, age of 
misery. A great age, Maha-yug, is equal to these four — 
4,320,000 of mortals. A solar year is equivalent to a day and 
night of the gods : 360 such days and nights, or 360 solar years, 
constitute a " year of the gods;" 12,000 years of the gods form 
" an age of the gods," or " divine age," or " great age," which is 
equal to 4,320,000 of men. Seventy-one Maha-yugs constitute a 
period called Manwantara, during which one Menu, with his pos- 
terity of sons and grandsons, ruled the earth. There are fourteen 
Menus, and fourteen Manwantaras. These fourteen Manwantaras 
are equal to 1000 Maha-yugs, or one Kalpa, or 4,320,000,000 
solar years. This is the day of Brahma. 

The Hindoos have many works not only on Astronomy, Natural 
Philosophy, Geography, and Law, but on Grammar, Poetry, Music, 
Medicine, Arithmetic, &c, chiefly in the Sanscrit. Their arithmeti- 
cal operations are numerous, ingenious, ajid difficult. Units are 
divided into a great number of fractions ; the most common of which 
are into 100 parts, and those differ according to the things num- 
bered. Thus there are fractions for money, weight, measures, &c. 



INDIA. 471 

These sciences were cultivated by the Brahmins ages ago. But 
the learning of the modern Hindoos is very limited. The astron- 
omy of the ancients has degenerated into astrology, and is con- 
fined almost exclusively to the calculation of eclipses, while some 
of the sciences formerly cultivated are now forgotten. 

Though the knowledge of the Sanscrit, and of the sciences con- 
tamed in it, has been mostly confined to the Brahmins, there have 
been men of. learning from the lower castes. Most of the learned 
men of the Tamil and Teloogoo people have been of the Soodra 
caste. 

The histoiy of the Hindoos is lost in the mists of antiquity. 
Their own annals, and especially their chronology, as may be 
seen at a glance, are false and fabulous. The Sanscrit, one of the 
most perfect languages in existence, has long ceased to be spoken, 
though retained in their sacred literature. It is probably the pa- 
rent of their various tongues, not less than eighteen of which are 
in use in the different parts of the peninsula. Sir "William Jones 
speaks of the Sanscrit as " of wonderful structure, more perfect 
than Greek, more copious than Latin, and more exquisitely per- 
fect than either," in which opinion Oriental scholars generally 
agree. This fact indicates the high cultivation of ancient India, 
the mother of nations, of languages, of philosophy, and religion. 
The present races which people Hindostan, must be vastly de- 
generated. 

The Hindoos are divided into four castes, or classes, who have 
no communication with each other, and remain fixed in immovable 
forms, a classification based upon their religion, and intertwined 
with it as warp and woof. 

The first are the Brahmins, the priests and teachers of the 
people, who claim to have sprung from the head of Brahma ; the 
next are the Kshatiras, including all engaged in civil and military 
affairs, who sprang from the arm of Brahma ; the third are the 
Veeshas, who sprang from the thig hs, and whose business is to 
provide the necessaries of life, as farmers, merchants, &c, whilst 
the fourth, and last, are the Soodras, the offspring of Brahma's 
feet, including those engaged in servile pursuits. 

In addition to these, there are the Pariahs, or Pariars, the out- 
casts of Hindostan, with whom even the Soodras disdain to have 
the remotest intercourse. They are the refuse of society, and 
doomed to destruction. 

These castes will neither eat, drink, nor sleep together. They 
regard the touch of one belonging to an inferior caste as contami- 
nation. They will not sit on the same place, or use the same 
thing. " I once saw a high caste Hindoo," says one, " dash an 



472 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



earthen jar of milk upon the ground, and break it to atoms, merely 
because the shadow of a Pariah had fallen upon it as he passed." 
If they were dying they would lend each other no assistance. 
They would not give one dying of hunger or thirst a crust of 
bread or a cup of water ! 

Woman in India is degraded into the condition of a slave. The 
birth of a daughter is regarded as a calamity. The supreme duty of 
woman, according to the Shastres, is absolute obedience — first to 
her father, then to her husband, and in old age, to her sons/ 
She has no choice as to her marriage. She is not to mention her 
husband's name ; not to eat with him at table ; not to be seen 
walking with him ; not to be inquired after by guests ; and never 
to be taught even the rudiments of knowledge. Handsome women 
do not know the letters of the alphabet. "A woman," say their 
sacred books, " is not allowed to go out of the house without the 
consent of her husband ; nor to laugh without a vail over her 
face ; nor to stand at the door ; nor to look out at the window. 
She is like a heifer on the plain, that still longs for fresh grass. 
Envy, deceit, infidelity, violence, and viciousness are all hers. 
She was made for servitude to her husband. She has no fitness 
for his equal companionship." 

The Brahmins are excessively proud, and demand from their 
followers divine worship. Some of them are acute and learned in 
their way, but the majority spend their time in dreamy indolence. 
The Hindoos believe in the transmigration of souls, which the 
Brahmins sedulously teach. It is related that a Hindoo, of a re- 
flecting mind, lay upon his death-bed. As he saw himself about 
to plunge into the dread abyss, he cried out, " What will become 
of me ?" " Oh," said a Brahmin, " you will inhabit another body." 
"And where," said he, "shall I go then?" "Into another," 
was the reply. " And where then ?" " Into another, and an- 
other, and thus on through millions^of years." Darting along this 
immense period, as if it were only an instant, he cried, "And 
where shall I go then ?" But there was no reply ; and the poor 
heathen died with the inquiry upon his lips. 

A spirit of skepticism and of inquiry begins to pervade the Hin- 
doo mind. Some have abandoned the chief peculiarities of the 
Brahminic faith, and others have become Christians. " Ah ! this 
is what I want," cried one of them, throwing away his Shastres, 
as he listened to the Gospel. God speed the day when the 
power of caste shall be broken forever, and a pure faith cheer the 
heart and guide the steps of man and woman, " walking together," 
as equals and companions, in the paths of holiness and peace. 

But we must bid adieu to Hindostan, and crossing the Bay of 



INDIA. 473 

Bengal, enter the mouth of the Irrawaddy and ascend through 
the long and fertile valley in which lie Burmah, the scene of the 
labors of Judson, Boardman, and other heroic men and women, 
and the country of the Karens, a primitive people, who are turn- 
ing by hundreds to the Christian faith, and thence among the hill 
tribes, from which we will cross to the valley of the Brahmapootra, 
in which lies Assam, one of the most beautiful regions in this part of 
the world, encircled, particularly on the north, by hills, and occu- 
pied by an interesting race of Hindoos, many of whom have been 
converted to Christianity. Most of these countries is, either in 
whole or in part, under the control of the British government. 
The Burmans, however, are yet, to some extent, independent. 
They are followers of Buddh, or Gaudama, and are exceedingly 
proud and bigoted. Their government is a despotism, and their 
religion a system of infidelity, which denies a supreme and eternal 
God, and leads to nigban, or annihilation, as the last hope of the 
weary soul. 

All have heard of the labors and heroic sacrifices of Mr. Judson, 
in the golden Ava, and other parts of the Burman Empire. Long 
years he labored successfully in this interesting field, translated 
the whole Bible into the Burman tongue, and had nearly com- 
pleted a dictionary of the language, when he closed his labors at 
sea, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health, and was 
buried in the depths of the ocean. His noble and heroic wife, 
the first Mrs. Judson, sleeps on the banks of the Salwen, under 
the shadow of the hopia-tree. 



474 THE WORLD WE LIVE LW. 



CHAPTER XXV 



Except Russia, China is the most extensive empire in the world ; 
in population, however, far outnumbering Russia and even Hin- 
dostan. It stretches from the eighteenth to the fifty-second parallel 
of latitude, and from the one hundred and forty-third to the seven- 
tieth meridian of longitude ; its boundaries are those of nature only, 
having on the north a frontier of 3000 miles, on the Pacific one of 
2000, and stretching to the north and west beyond Persia to a 
limit as yet unknown. The entire coast-line of China is 3350 miles, 
and the circuit of its domains 12,550. It comprises about one- 
third of the continent of Asia, and nearly one-tenth of the habit- 
able part of the globe. 

The name China is to be traced probably to Tsin, or Chin, the 
chieftain of a family which gained complete sway previous to the 
period of the Christian era. The country and its inhabitants are 
known to the Malays, Hindoos, and other Asiatic nations only by 
the name of Tin, Chin, Sin, Sinoe, — whence we find it in Isa. xlix. 
12, spoken of as " the land of Sinim," that being the plural of Sin. 
The Chinese themselves do not designate their country by any of 
the names given to it by foreigners, but call it the " Middle King- 
dom," " the Middle Flowery Kingdom," " the Black Haired Race," 
"Tang-jin," or "Men of Tang," "Han-jin," or "Sons of Han," 
and so forth. They suppose themselves to occupy about the cen- 
ter of the world, and to be among the most cultivated and polished 
of all nations. China is divided into three parts, the eighteen 
provinces, or China proper, Manchuria, and the colonial posses- 
sions. The Chinese are to be found in great numbers beyond 
their own domains, in Siam, Assam, and even in Persia. By the 
most recent authorities their whole number is estimated at three 
hundred millions.* The larger proportion of the country is culti- 
vated, being every where covered with a dense and industrious 
population. It is diversified by mountains, lakes, rivers, and 
canals. Among: its great works are the Chinese Wall and the 
Grand Canal. The wall is estimated at 1250 miles in length, 

* Some, however, have maintained that all the statistics upon this sub- 
ject are uncertain, and suggest one-half this number as the probable popu- 
lation of China. Gutzlaff and Williams put it at three hundred and seventy 
millions. 



CHINA. 



475 




CHINA. 411 

" topping the precipices and scaling the crags." In some places 
it is a mere bank of earth ; in others a mass of substantial masonry. 
The eastern part, which is the more substantial, is twenty-five 
feet thick at the bottom and fifteen at the top, faced with ma- 
sonry, and from fifteen to thirty feet high. Brick towers occur at 
intervals along the course of it, about forty feet in hight, forty 
feet square at the base and thirty at the top. 

The Grand Canal forms an almost complete water communica- 
tion between Peking and Canton, carrying the advantages of ac- 
cess by water to nearly all the large towns lying between them. 
Some conception of the vastness of the work may be formed from 
the fact, that in A. D. 1375, Sing Li, one of the emperors, em- 
ployed upon one portion of it 300,000 men for seven months. It 
coincides with some of the rivers along its course, and adopts 
their channels for considerable distances. The canal is 650 miles 
in length, nearly twice the length of the Erie Canal in New York. 
The locks are formed of thick planks sliding in grooves cut in 
stone buttresses. 

China, though chiefly an agricultural country, has extensive 
manufactures and commerce, and, while covered with a numerous 
population in all the rural districts, has a great number of large 
cities. Some of these contain from five hundred thousand to a 
million of inhabitants. Of these perhaps Canton is the best 
known. By visiting this city we shall get an idea of the crowded 
population and the external aspects of Chinese city life. This 
city, as also Amoy, Foo-Choo-Foo, Shanghai, and Ningpo, are 
accessible to foreigners, being the five open ports ceded to the 
use of foreign commerce. 

The appearance of the river going up to Canton is picturesque 
and striking. On the hights rise a number of garrisoned forts. 
The soldiers in their military attire present themselves as we pass. 
Near these forts beautiful banyan-trees are generally grown, a 
practice said to arise from the superstition of the soldiers, who 
believe that beneath their shelter they become musket-proof. 
Other hights are surmounted by towering pagodas, places of 
Buddhist worship. On the acclivities and summits cultivation is 
every where visible. Houses of the peasantry peep out at inter- 
vals, and water-wheels, used in irrigation, add to the picturesque 
appearance of the scene. 

Lining the banks are numerous boats, floating or stationary, 
used for the rearing of ducks and fowls, in which their owners, 
with their wives, families, and connections, spend their lives. 
These boats are from thirty to forty feet in length, surmounted 
with a roof made of bamboo, and thatched with paddy (rice) 



478 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



straw, under which the rowers sit upon stools, eight inches in 
hight. The ducks are guided on the water by whip and voice. 
At night they come tumbling in at the crack of the owner's whip, 
which they greatly dread. The wife takes her part in the busi- 
ness of the boat, generally standing at the stem, moving a very 
long oar, which works on an iron pivot, and both steers and pro- 
pels the boat, with a singular motion of her head and wrists. In 
one corner is always seen their household Joss, or god, with joss- 
sticks constantly burning before him. Joss is a jolly-looking god, 
with a " pot belly," round cheeks, and grinning mouth, generally 
of small dimensions, and stained black. Night and morning they 
" chin-chin" Joss, honoring him by beating gongs, and burning 
paper offerings. The wife, as she guides the boat, may frequently 
be seen with an infant tied to her back, while other children of 
various ages are playing about the boat. The younger have 
gourds attached to their backs, as life-buoys, lest they should fall 
overboard. But they often let the little fellows take their chance, 
even when they fall overboard, as they have the notion that a 
person rescued from drowning will inevitably injure his preserver. 
Some of the boats have vegetable gardens suspended from their 
sides. In the center of the boat is a small tank, in which they 
keep and fatten their fish. At night they sleep under their 
thatched roof upon mats, with such pillows of rattan, wood, or 
other material they find most convenient. 

Ascending the river the scenery is beautifully diversified. The 
atmosphere is loaded with the fragrance of orange groves and 
bananas. Mandarin, or police boats, with ten or twenty oars on 
each side, increase in number, the rowers dressed in gayly painted 
bamboo caps of a conical form. From the masts float long silken 
streamers or flags, with the names of the owners blazoned in 
golden letters. Little boats with fruit, and here and there a huge 
Chinese junk, with its gayly painted stern and weighty mat-sails, 
diversify the scene. On the prow is painted an enormous eye, — 
that it may see where it is going ! Yonder are moored various 
fishing boats, furnished with aquatic birds trained to catch fish by 
diving. Round the neck of these birds rings are fastened, to keep 
them from swallowing the fish. Junks of great variety, and some 
of much splendor, meet us as we advance, with cabins upon cab- 
ins, producing a singular effect. As we approach Canton the 
river is so crowded with water-craft, of all shapes and sizes, cross- 
ing and recrossing each other, that we almost despair of forcing a 
passage. On each side boats are moored, in which families have 
their permanent abode, some with their fronts handsomely carved 
and gayly painted. On their decks or flat roofs you see the in- 



CHINA. 479 

mates sitting and smoking amid painted flower-pots tastefully- 
arranged. Among the most gayly decorated of these are the 
boats called " flower boats" — sinks of prostitution and iniquity ; 
for, alas ! the Chinese, with all their order and thrift, like the 
heathen nations generally, are greatly addicted to vicious practices. 
Boats innumerable, and devoted to all sorts of purposes, some be- 
longing to mandarins, others to artisans, others to traders, some 
filled with flowers, others with fruits, and others with tea or food, 
are wedged together in one solid mass, apparently impenetrable, 
as far as the eye can reach, while the air is filled with the deafen- 
ing sound of gongs and wind instruments, mingled with the yelling, 
screaming, shouting, chattering, and clamor of hundreds of thou- 
sands of busy tongues, presenting a scene to the European or 
American traveler the most novel and astounding. 

At last we are in Canton, a perfect wilderness of long narrow 
streets, with here and there a huge pagoda, a temple, or other 
public edifice, Many of these streets are crowded with shops and 
stores, open in front, and filled with innumerable articles of traffic, 
among which you sometimes see singular specimens of live stock, 
puppy dogs yelping in bamboo cages, kittens mewing, rats squeak- 
ing, fowls chucking, and pigs grunting ; and not only so, but fish 
swimming, with earth-worms and slugs variously disposed in tubs 
and other vessels. Yonder is a barber with his iron tweezers, and 
near him another is plaiting the tail (queue), cleaning the ears, 
shaving the head and face of a customer, which operation he fin- 
ishes by a good thumping of his back, and cracking of his joints. 
Hard by are venders of cooked food, with enormous red umbrellas, 
dealers in sweetmeats, and all sorts of nick-nacks. Stalls for 
books, and others for drugs, and a thousand things besides, line the 
streets. Fortune-tellers, dice-players, and jugglers ply their skill ; 
the air is filled with a perfect Babel of sounds. 

Other streets are filled with stores of different descriptions, 
some of them being quite splendid. The stores in New and Old 
China street are filled with one mass of gaudily painted carved 
work. The houses generally are small and low, the upper part 
always latticed and painted green. The interiors of the stores are 
neatly fitted up, and the goods are tastefully set out. The inter- 
mixture of various-colored paper, pendent inscriptions, and varie- 
gated lanterns have a grotesque effect. Beggars stand at the 
doors of all the stores, knocking two pieces of bamboo till they 
receive alms. 

Different streets are appropriated to different trades. In one 
street, for example, are gathered all the tailors, in another all the 
carpenters, in another all the shoemakers, and so on. 



480 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



" The most showy and attractive of all the shops," says a lively 
writer, in the Dublin Review, " are those of the lantern venders. 
There hang all varieties, from the large silken lanterns, three and 
four feet high, decorated with fringe of gold and silver, and painted 
with variegated colors, which are used in the residences of the 
mandarins, and cost about one hundred and fifty dollars, to the 
common small horn and paper lanterns used by coolies, which 
cost no more than one-sixteenth of a dollar. The mode of making 
the horn lanterns is very ingenious. The horns of bullocks and 
goats are cut into remarkably thin slices, which, by means of heat 
and pressure, are joined together, and formed into various shapes 
— round, square, hexagon, octagon, and some even resembling an 
hour-glass. These are variously painted, and covered with a 
species of net- work. To the top is attached a folding triangle, 
which forms, when closed, a handle for convenience of carriage, 
and when expanded a stand, from whose summit hangs the lan- 
tern : these vary in price and size. It is usual for servants to 
carry before their masters large lanterns, either of horn or of 
highly varnished paper, with his name and title painted on them 
in large characters. At the Feast of Lanterns, which takes place 
at the early part of the Chinese year, these lantern-^hops have a 
very gay and diversified appearance, and their proprietors reap a 
rich harvest, as it is customary at this feast for parents to make 
presents of lanterns to their children, and for inferiors to act simi- 
larly to their superiors, which are expensive in proportion to the 
means of the donor. Some of these are made to represent birds, 
beasts, and fish, and others have movable figures on their sides. 
In fact this feast is somewhat similar to the fete of the New Year 
in France, lanterns being given instead of bon-bons. At night all 
these lanterns are lighted up and hung on the exterior of their 
houses, and the illumination thus created is far superior to any 
ever witnessed in Europe. The streets are crowded, and each 
person takes as much pride in the expensive and showy appear- 
ance of lanterns hung outside his house, as the members of clubs, 
&c, in London do in the brilliancy of their illuminations on birth- 
nights. They exhibit a surprising degree of ingenuity in the me- 
chanical construction of some of their lanterns, which are formed 
with moving figures, intended to represent the actions of life. 
But of all I have seen, one which was presented to me was the 
most perfect and beautiful. This was of a hexagon form, about 
two feet and a half high and five feet in circumference. On its 
respective sides were moving figures, representing a Chinaman 
fishing with a rod, which moved up and down, with a fish hang- 
ing at the end of the line ; John Bull dancing, and in the act of 



CHINA. 



481 




21 



CHINA. 483 

v 

pouring out a bottle of porter into a goblet, all the limbs being in 
motion ; a tiger in the act of jumping upon a man, who evinced, 
from the motion of his limbs, and his head turning toward the 
beast, great terror ; a sanpan (a kind of boat) filled with fruit and 
vegetables, sculled by a boatwoman, with that peculiar motion of 
her arms and feet used in sculling ; a Chinaman in the act of rais- 
ing food to his mouth with chop-sticks ; and lastly, a sportsman 
taking aim at a bird, which was perpetually fluttering in the air ; 
while Tartar horsemen, in their tiger-skin uniforms, and lances or 
spears couched, chased each other around the lantern. The cos- 
tumes, figures, and appurtenances were accurately portrayed ac- 
cording to life and nature : the figures continued in motion as the 
lamps burned. The lamps were composed of several small saucers 
filled with oil, to feed small wicks lying at their sides. The revo- 
lution of the horsemen was effected by a sort of smoke- jack, to 
which they were attached by long human hairs ; an inner frame- 
work revolved by the same means, and moved the pegs to which 
the various figures of the lantern were fastened. The framework 
of this lantern was composed of bamboo, which was covered with 
silk, and the bottom was decorated with an embroidered silken 
fringe. I considered it as a perfect 'masterpiece of mechanical 
skill in its way." 

In some of the streets of Canton may be seen stores filled with 
the richest and most beautifully ornamented porcelain, others with 
lackered work, silver-ware, and so forth. One whole street is 
devoted to birds, of which the Chinese are very fond, often paying 
a hundred dollars for some peculiar favorite. 

Canton is surrounded by walls, from twenty-five to forty feet 
high. There are several gates in the walls, shut at night and 
constantly guarded by soldiers. Besides two large pagodas, there 
are one hundred and twenty-four temples, pavilions, halls and 
other religious edifices in the city. The people are not devout, 
but excessively superstitious. They will sometimes chide their 
gods, nay, cuff their ears, when angry with them for supposed 
neglect or injury. But every where images abound. Throughout 
the city are seen little gilded shrines and huge demoniac images. 
Priests, with sleepy eyes, saunter in the sun or lounge about the 
temples. The Honam Joss House, so called, a Buddhist temple, 
has attached to it one hundred and seventy-five priests, only a 
portion of whom can read. The temple of " Glorious Filial Duty'' 
has two hundred priests, who are supported by a glebe of 3500 
acres of land. The number of priests in Canton is said to exceed 
two thousand, nine-tenths of whom are Buddhists. The temples, 
sometimes striking in their exterior, after all are cheerless abodes. 



484 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



The areas in front are filled with throngs of idlers, beggars, 
and small traders, who are occasionally driven off to make way • 
for some fantastic theatrical performance by the priests. The hall 
of the temple, occupied by a gloomy idol, is lighted only in 
front, adorned by an altar, drum, and bells. The inner cells 
are inhabited by men about as stupid as their idols, miserable 
beings, who, having abandoned society, here spend an idle and 
wretched life. 

In Canton is the celebrated Kung-Yuen, or Hall of Literary 
Examination, containing several thousand cells, for the examina- 
tion of students who assemble at the examination held in it. The 
city contains four prisons, for hither are brought all capital offences 
in the province for trial. The foreign factories or warehouses, on 
the western side of Canton, are the most showy buildings in the 
city. The term hong in Chinese signifies a series or succession, 
and is applied to the merchants, because their warehouses contain 
a succession of apartments. Most of the trades and manufactures 
of Canton have reference to foreign commerce. Fifty thousand 
persons are supposed to be engaged in weaving cloth, including 
the embroiderers ; besides which are 7000 barbers, and 4000 shoe- 
makers, " licensed to shave the crowns and shoe the soles of their 
fellow-citizens." 

Ningpo, another large and flourishing city, is important on ac- 
count of its foreign relations. It is situated at the junction of 
three streams, a few miles from the ocean. Here and in Canton, 
Shanghai, and,- we believe, Macao, have been established several 
Protestant missions from England and the United States. Ningpo 
lies in a magnificent plain, forming an amphitheater, stretching 
one side some twelve to eighteen miles to the base of the mount- 
ains, and on the other to the verge of the ocean. On the land 
side you see canals and Avater-courses, fields and farm-houses, pleas- 
ant cottages, family residences, hamlets, and villages, with tombs, 
monasteries, and temples. Toward the ocean the country is plain 
as it descends to the shore, but the river is alive with boats, and 
its banks are studded with ice-houses. Public buildings and 
temples, some dedicated to one god and some to another, adom 
the interior of the city. Lagoons furnish aquatic amusements. 
The most striking building in the city is " The Heaven- Conferred 
Pagoda," or Tower of Ningpo, a vast and somber edifice, supposed 
to be over a thousand years old. The most elegantly furnished 
building in the city is a temple dedicated to the popular goddess, 
Ma Tsupu (Queen of Heaven). The lanterns and scrolls hanging 
from the ceiling, and other ornaments, inscriptions, and figures on 
the walls, external and internal, give it a peculiar and attractive 



CHINA. 485 

appearance. The population is supposed to reach from a quarter 
to half a million. 

Nanking, one of the largest of the Chinese cities, is celebrated 
abroad for its lofty and elegant Porcelain Tower, called by the 
Chinese the " Recompensing Favor Monastery," composed of the 
richest materials, well proportioned, and brilliantly gilded. The 
summit is reached by a spiral staircase, two hundred and sixty 
feet high. The whole consists of nine equal stories, decreasing 
gradually to the top. The outer surface is covered with porce- 
lain slabs, green, red, yellow, white, and other colors. At every 
story is a 5 projecting roof, covered with green tiles, and a bell 
projecting from each corner. The saloons are more gaudy than 
elegant, and full of riches, in which are placed many gilded im- 
ages. It was nineteen years in building, and is more than four 
hundred years old. Nanking is also celebrated for its manufac- 
ture of satin, crape, &c, and is much renowned for the scholar- 
ship of its literary men. 

Shanghai, the seat of several foreign missions, is a large place, 
of considerable commerce and trade, but poorly built, with nar- 
row, dirty streets. 

All the great cities of China are pretty much alike ; but Peking, 
the capital, which has a population variously estimated from one 
to two millions, has some very broad streets, running between op- 
posite gates in the divisions of the city to which they respectively 
belong. The other streets, however, are narrow and close, like 
those of Canton. At the four points where the great streets in- 
tersect each other, are singular -looking erections, resembling tri- 
umphal arches, built of stone or wood, with a large central gate- 
way, and a smaller one on each side, roofed and richly gilded. 
These are monuments of the great men that have deserved well 
of their country. 

In the northern part of the city are the palaces of the empe- 
rors, with their imposing titles, though far inferior to European 
palaces in magnificence. Within the royal precincts is a temple 
to which the emperor comes to revere the manes of his ancestors, 
and obtain from them blessings. These constitute one of three 
inclosures in this part of the city. A second inclosure is called 
" the August City" — about six miles in circumference. This 
comprises several idol-temples, a depository of military stores, ex- 
tensive public granaries, and a military seminary. It has also an 
artificial mountain, in the centre of an extensive park. A third 
inclosure is called " the Imperial City," and contains the offices 
of the six tribunals of the empire. The Russian Mission, the 
temple of Yung ho Kung, or of " eternal peace," the largest and 



486 THE WOELD WE LIVE EN". 



most sacred edifice in the city, having in it an institution for the 
instruction of lamas (god-priests), for the service of .Thibet. 
Here also is the National College, in which is concentrated all the 
learning and literature of China. All the literati of the empire, 
all the colleges and principal schools, are subordinate to this 
establishment, which nominates examiners of the compositions re- 
quired of candidates for civil offices. Manchoo, Chinese, and 
Russian literature meets here with equal attention, and all religions 
are sanctioned within its precincts. 

A majority of the inhabitants are dependent, more or less, on 
the court. Peking is the great emporium of printing, and the 
principal seat of the book-trade. 

But let us pass into the country. Every spot, you perceive, is 
cultivated. The hills are terraced, and covered with various pro- 
ductions to their summits. The houses, generally made of bam- 
boo, are light and airy, to catch the breeze, for the climate is in- 
tensely hot. Fruit-trees of every tropical variety abound. The 
productions are various. Rice, sugar, silk, tea, fruits — every thing 
in a word, which a fine country and an ingenious people can culti- 
vate. Rice is the staff of life, and tea the great article of com- 
merce. The finest qualities, from their high price, and demand 
among the richer classes, are not exported. The finest is worth 
its weight in silver. The orange plantations are beautiful, filling 
the air with fraorance. The bamboo-tree, the leading tree of the 
country, is applied to numberless uses. Cotton grows freely in 
many parts of the country. The tea-plant grows wild in China, 
to the hight of two or three feet, and bears a white fragrant 
flower ; when cultivated it attains the hight of four or five feet. 
It is planted in rows, and weeded with the greatest care. The 
greater the care bestowed upon the plant, the finer is the quality 
of the tea. There are many varieties, much depending upon the 
nature of the soil. They have more than one hundred descrip- 
tions of the tea-plant. It is a mistake that the green tea is made 
by drying upon copper, as copper is never used for drying it. 
But black teas are often made green by coloring matter, which is 
very easily discovered by chewing a few leaves, or breathing upon 
a handful, when the green hue will soon disappear. This poor 
green tea is known as " Canton green." The green teas are a 
different species from the black altogether. The finest sorts of 
tea which are drunk by the mandarins and emperor, are cultivated 
with as much care as we bestow upon exotics. The younger the 
leaves are when gathered, the finer is the quality of the tea. The 
coarser kinds of tea, which are used by the poor, are the old 
leaves, which have been gathered without any preparation. 



CHINA. 487 

The Chinese are essentially an agricultural people. They have 
wisely established laws for the protection and encouragement of 
agriculture. The emperor himself does not think it unworthy of 
his dignity, once every year, at the agricultural festival, to descend 
from his throne clad as a husbandman, to set the laudable exam- 
ple to his subjects of tilling the earth ; his family and courtiers, 
dressed in the same style, attending him on the occasion. The 
appointed day having been previously announced by authority 
throughout the empire, the emperor goes forth and ploughs a par- 
ticular field, and every farmer throughout the empire simultane- 
ously turns up the earth. The produce of the field ploughed by 
the emperor is preserved with great care, being regarded as far 
superior to any other. Neglected lands are forfeited, so that in 
China, not a spot of uncultivated land, except what is absolutely 
barren, can be seen. The ground is fertile and productive, but 
locusts often pass in devouring bands, and eat up the whole. 
What was a garden before them, is left behind them a wilderness. 

China is not without the precious metals. Iron, copper, silver, 
and even gold, are found in some of her mountains.* The climate 
is insufferably hot in the dry season ; in winter quite cold. The 
rainy season is a perfect deluge. Their modes of irrigation are 
ingenious. The paddy corn is thrashed out sometimes by bam- 
boo flails, and sometimes by the tread of oxen. Rice is applied 
to innumerable uses. They not only eat it and distill it, but make 
it into ornaments. The straw thatches their houses, and out of it 
they construct coarse mats and paper. The husks are carefully 
collected, and being mixed with a greasy substance, are formed 
into cakes to feed the pigs. The rice itself is pounded into a 
paste, out of which, hardened in the fire, they make bottles and 
vases. In a word, every spot of ground, and every production 
of the earth in China is turned to some use. They extract a fine 
oil from the kernels of apricots, and a beautiful black dye from 
acorn cups. The finest scarlet coloring matter is extracted from 
the cactus. Paper is made from the rind of a species of syca- 
more-tree. Indeed, paper and printing existed in China before 
they were known in Europe. Paints and dyes superior to any 
thing known in the western world, are used by their artists, who, 
though destitute of ideality and invention in the higher depart- 
ments of art, have great ingenuity, and remarkable power of imi- 
tation. 

* The Chinese make little use of their iron mines, as they do not under- 
stand the manufacture of iron. 



488 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

CHINA, CONTINUED WITH NOTICES OF SIAM AND JAPAN. 

The Chinese are the most enlightened, and we may add, com- 
pared with others,, the most virtuous of all the pagan nations. 
Their religion, though idolatrous, is free from human sacrifices 
and obscene symbols. Of general geography, chronology, astron- 
omy, and history, they know comparatively nothing.* Yet they 
have innumerable books, and extensive libraries. Indeed, they 
may be styled a literary people, making literary attainments the 
stepping-stone and indispensable prerequisite to civil office. The 
government is a despotism ; but all offices are open to the enter- 
prising. The laws are tolerably well administered. Punishments, 
though generally severe and degrading, may be commuted by 
fines, &c. Instances have been known in which individuals were 
hired to suffer death in the stead of others. Bribes and evasions 
are common enough, and riots and revolutions are not unknown, 
but a high degree of order and quiet prevails through the land. 
The origin of the people is lost in the twilight of the past. Their 
own chronology is false and preposterous ; their early history a 
fable and a dream. They are of the Mongol race. Their appear- 
ance is peculiar. In stature they are short, though there are ex- 
ceptions to this rule, rather " round," and in old age inclining to 
obesity ; their faces oval, with prominent cheek-bones, black, an- 
gular eyes, resembling those of the pig, complexion yellow, or 
yellowish brown, hair black and wiry, a tuft of which only is left 
upon the head, the rest of the head, with the face, being kept, in 
the case of males, perfectly smooth. The hair is plaited into a 
tail, which hangs down the back nearly to the heels. When short, 
they piece it out with black silk braid, ingeniously plaited into the 
hair. The expression of the face, upon the whole, is intelligent, 
though by no means handsome. The women are below the mid- 
dle size, not well formed, their complexions a little more delicate, 
but the same as that of the men, though without any intelligence 
of expression. Their dress, among the lower orders, varies little 
from that of the men. Every where they are regarded as slaves. 

* We ought to state here that " Murray's Encyclopedia of Geography" 
has just been translated and published by one of their great men. They 
begin to learn a little of the world around them. 



CHINA. 489 

Untaught, in a nation attaching great value to learning, their 
minds are vacant and dull. The Chinese writers uniformly speak 
of women with contempt. The clothing of the lower class 
of men consists of very wide, loose trowsers, and a jacket made 
of highly glazed calico, of native manufacture. The higher classes 
are more sumptuously attired, wearing long silken robes, reaching 
to their feet (those of the mandarins being more or less embroid- 
ered, according to their rank), silk trowsers, and black satin boots, 
with felt soles, three inches thick, and pointed, turned-up toes. 
In winter they wear half a dozen garments, of various sorts, all 
wadded ; robe, spencers, and velvet tippets, thickly wadded with 
cotton, and lined with fur, with a velvet stock round their necks, 
about two inches high. In summer the mandarins wear a conical 
cap of exceedingly fine white straw, with a splendid tassel, and 
surmounted with a button denoting their rank ; in winter, a black 
satin cap, with a turned-up brim. The Chinese change their 
summer dress simultaneously, at the order of the emperor. The 
fan and umbrella are in constant use among the Chinese. Nothing 
is done without a fan. Your tailor takes your orders, fanning 
himself all the time ; your servants at dinner will hand you a 
plate with one hand, and fan themselves with the other. 

The women of all classes are fond of trinkets, wearing as many 
armlets, bracelets, &c, as they can afford ; yet gold is never used 
by them for this purpose. The dress of the upper classes is 
nearly as handsome as that of the mandarins : every part of the 
dress, however, must be of a different color. The great object of 
the ladies is to put on as many colors, and as much embroidery 
as possible. The shoes have heels about an inch high, and the 
uppers are embroidered with silver and gold tinsel, &c. Instead 
of stockings, red and black cloth is bound round the foot and leg. 
Like the men, they wear under their jackets a silken girdle, to 
which is invariably attached an embroidered bag, which contains 
their pipe and tobacco ! They uniformly carry a handsome fan. 

The beau ideal of female beauty, among the Chinese, consists 
in feet deformed and " compressed into a mass three inches in 
length," bandaged up from infancy in bindings, never unwound 
till womanhood (one may imagine their odor) ; a fleshless figure ; 
a dingy, yellow complexion, plastered with white cosmetic ; high 
cheek-bones ; remarkably small piggish eyes, with penciled eye- 
brows, meeting over the nose ; low brow, with oblong ears ; coarse 
black hair, anointed with pork fat, until it stands on end, then 
drawn up from the face to the top of the head, where it is dressed 
in a high top-knot, in which are stuck, perpendicularly, silver pins, 
and occasionally flowers. 

21* 



490 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



Marriage is a matter of traffic or agreement among the parents. 
Children are taught to revere their parents, and it is affirmed that 
the Chinese enjoy considerable domestic comfort. The poor are 
omnivorous, devouring every thing edible ; but the rich are dainty 
in their food, and indulge themselves in all sorts of nice and luxu- 
rious eating. 

The modern emperors of China are of the Manchoo, sometimes, 
though perhaps erroneously, called the Tartar, dynasty. Their 
reign is firm and despotic. The government is conducted by a 
system of universal espionage. Every officer is a spy upon 
another. The army is numerous, but readily yields to the supe- 
rior force of European soldiers. The great men of the empire are 
distinguished for their pride and love of show. They hold the 
common people in the greatest contempt. 

There are in China three chief systems of religion — those of 
Confucius, Laotse, and Buddh, or Buddha. The former is for the 
more learned, being, in fact, rather a moral code than a religious 
creed. The second differs from this but little, and there is no 
difficulty in holding the views of both. The Buddhist religion is 
for the least educated classes. There is no state religion in the 
empire. The emperor is a Buddhist, or follower of Fo ; but he is 
also a follower of Confucius. China is tolerant of all religions. 
The early Catholic priests were extremely well received ; their 
learning and science were highly esteemed ; their teachings were 
allowed; members even of the royal family were converted to 
their doctrines ; and there was a good prospect that the empire 
would be converted to Christianity. But the priests divided into 
two parties — the early Jesuits forbidding, and the others allowing, 
the Chinese to pay worship to their ancestors. The Pope issued 
his bull, and decided the controversy. The disturbance came to 
the knowledge of the emperor, who, indignant at this presump- 
tion, banished all the priests, and prohibited the people from em- 
bracing Christianity, on pain of death. 

His wrath did not subside until the negotiation with the French 
and Americans, the latter of whom, by the seventeenth article of 
the treaty, are allowed to establish hospitals, cemeteries, and 
churches, in any of the five free ports. The manner in which this 
permission was granted was highly gratifying. Kwang, the 
present lieutenant-governor of the Kwang provinces, was present 
at one of the many conferences which were had upon the subject 
of the treaty. The American interpreters, Drs. Parker and Bridg- 
man, were also present with the American functionaries. When 
they came to this item of the treaty, Kwang turned to Dr. Parker, 
whom he well knew, and who enjoys, in an extraordinary degree, 



CHINA. 491 

the regard and respect of the Chinese, both officers and people, 
and said, with a courteous smile, " Certainly, churches and hospi- 
tals, if you please." 

The Buddhist is the religion of the lowest and uneducated classes, 
who demand visible and tangible objects of worship. Their tem- 
ples, like the Catholic churches in Macao, have decorations, pic- 
tures, &c. They worship the virgin mother, make prayers for the 
dead, have nuns and monks, and petition for every thing, from 
deliverance of their friends from purgatory, to a handsome wife or 
a rich husband. Beside every shop is an idol of the god of wealth ; 
and every house has a god of longevity, to which devout and daily 
prayers are, offered. Most of them are utterly ignorant of the 
existence even of a future state. 

The religion of Confucius, if, indeed, it deserve the name of re- 
ligion, is, after all, a system of dry and lifeless rationalism. Prop- 
erly speaking, it has no religious doctrines, no supreme and eter- 
nal God, no heaven, no immortality. Confucius said little or 
nothing upon these subjects. A few ethical and prudential maxims 
would comprise his entire moral code. He left the whole domain 
of " the invisible and the eternal" in the profoundest darkness. It 
would seem, indeed, that the Chinese, while superstitious enough, 
have no conception of a spiritual religion. Literally, they may be 
said to be without Cod, and without hope of immortality. 

Confucius, not God, is the object of worship to all the followers 
of this illustrious sage. There are in China about 2000 temples 
dedicated to his honor. At one period of Chinese history, the 
image of Confucius was placed in his temple, and worshiped ; but 
this resembled Buddhism too much to please the learned, and, for 
several centuries, they have contained his tablet only. ' To this the 
faithful direct their devotions. That part of the tablet on which 
Chinese characters are gilded is about a yard long ; the rest in 
proportion. The characters signify — " Divine throne or seat 
of the most HOLT teacher Confucius." Twice a year, in spring 
and autumn, a little before dawn, all the mandarins, dressed in the 
most gorgeous style, assemble at the temple of Confucius, to pay 
him divine honors, by prayers, prostrations, and sacrifices of oxen 
or hogs before the tablet. At the same time, candles are kept 
burning, and odoriferous incense rises from the vessel in the cen- 
ter of the altar. 

Buddhism, as already stated, is the most prevalent form of wor- 
ship among the great mass of the people, and a more puerile and 
degrading system of faith can scarcely be imagined. Lamaism, 
the lowest form of man- worship, flourishes in some parts of the 
empire. Indeed, the Chinese have many forms and objects of 



492 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



adoration. Decided remains of Sabianism, or the worship of the 
heavenly bodies, are found among them : the worship of the 
moon, for example, is general in China, and dates from remote 
times. 

The worship of ancestors is practiced by all the Chinese, learned 
or unlearned. But one of the most popular deities is Miss Ling, 
the " queen of heaven." The following account of this Chinese 
goddess is from the pen of Dr. Macgowan : 

" Between six and seven hundred years ago, the Chinese say, 
there was on the Fakien coast a family named Ling, consisting of 
the parents, two sons, and two daughters. Mr. Ling, who was a 
fisherman, was once overtaken by a violent storm. He jmlled hard 
for the shore, aided by his sons, but the wind and waves over- 
powered their little bark, and it was swamped. 

" At this very moment, Mrs. Ling observed the youngest daugh- 
ter asleep at her spinning-wheel, and unhappily called out to her 
so sharply, that she instantly awoke. She then told her mother 
that she had seen her father and brothers in the midst of the sea, 
struggling for existence, and in her vision had caught a brother in 
each arm, and her father in her teeth ; but, as she was roused 
from her sleep, her mouth opened, and the head of the family 
dropped out, and was lost. 

" All this was confirmed by the brothers, who returned soon 
after, and reported that an arm had upheld each of them until 
they got to a place of safety, while their father was drowned. 

" From that period, until her death, Miss Ling enjoyed a high 
reputation in all those parts, as a deliverer in storms at sea, and in 
pestilence on shore. This girl began her operations at the age of 
fourteen, and died single at thirty. The particulars of her death 
are not given, but it is stated that a temple was immediately 
erected to her memory by the people of her native place. 

" After her death, she heard the cries of all who were in dis- 
tress at sea, and soon became so popular with sailors, that no boat 
would put from shore without her image. Among the numerous 
cases narrated of her miraculous aid to mariners in distress, is the 
following : 

" An imperial ambassador, who was on his way to Corea, met 
with boisterous weather at first, and afterward encountered a ty- 
phoon. His whole fleet, which consisted of eight vessels, was 
wrecked, except the one in which he sailed. He attributed his 
deliverance to the efficacy of his prayers to the goddess. 

" On his return, he reported his adventures to the emperor, 
whereupon that ' son of heaven' conferred a flattering title on the 
rising deity, and caused a temple to be erected for her worship. 



CHINA. 493 

As lier reputation increased, new honors and more imposing names 
were given her by the emperor, until about one hundred and 
twenty-five years ago, the emperor, Young Ching, conferred the 
title of ' Queen of Heaven,' which she has since been permitted 
to enjoy. The name was borrowed from the Roman Catholics, 
who style the Virgin Mary the queen of heaven. 

" In the history of Ningpo, there are several superstitious stories 
about the ' queen of heaven,' and one of them is connected with 
the origin of a splendid temple erected for her worship. The 
founder of this establishment was a sea-captain, to whom the 
goddess appeared in a storm. She was seen on the mainmast, 
and, when the skipper made vows of costly sacrifices to her lady- 
ship, she saved the junk. The present temple is said to have cost 
one hundred thousand dollars. There is another in this city not 
less expensive. Indeed, the coasts, rivers, and lakes of China are 
dotted with costly buildings erected in honor of the fisherman's 
daughter. 

" Before sailing, it is common for sailors to treat her to a play, 
when she is taken to a choice seat, and invited to witness the exhi- 
bition got up expressly to please her, and to secure for them a 
prosperous voyage." 

Though the higher classes affect to despise the superstitions of 
the vulgar, the greatest scholars and statesmen, as well as sailors, 
unite in the worship. 

We have already said that the Chinese may be termed a literary 
people. Certainly, they have many books, among which are lexi- 
cons, annals, histories, moral sayings, stories, novels, poetry, bal- 
lads, <fec. Their larger libraries contain thousands of volumes. 
They have schools and colleges, which are well attended, as a cer- 
tain amount of learning is necessary to civil office. The more 
learned a man is, the more likely is he to rise to civil honors. 

Yet the Chinese, with all their ingenuity and industry, pos- 
sess little mental vigor, and appear to great disadvantage when 
brought into collision with Europeans. A handful of English 
troops, with some slight science, and a few cannon, bring an em- 
pire of three hundred millions to terms in a few weeks ! It is 
said that the Chinese army amounts to four or five millions, but 
they found it impossible to muster forty thousand men to defend 
their empire against " the barbarians." No energy, no decision, 
no science or tactics, worthy of the name. They acted more like 
children than men. Among other means of repelling the English, 
they set up an iron pipe on the deck of their vessels, kindling a 
fire inside the tube, in hopes that the smoke which ascended from 
the pipe might frighten the invaders ! They mistook the large 



494 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



drum of one of the Irish regiments (18th Foot), for an unknown 
and dangerous implement of war, and kept firing at it during the 
greater part of the action ! Of course, they killed nobody, and 
exposed themselves all the time to the enemy's fire. 

The Chinese are averse to all change. The nature of their insti- 
tutions and government is such as to aggravate this tendency. All 
things are subjected to fixed forms. Freedom and progress are 
unknown ; a state of things in which the higher powers of the 
soul stagnate, and all but die out. Prudence and industry may 
be cultivated, in common with beavers and bees, whose mechanical 
skill, order, and perseverance are immense ; but beyond this there 
is little or no advance. Selfishness becomes the dominant impulse. 
A state of things in which an absolute and all-pervading despotism 
is necessary to maintain the peace and order of society. If great 
crimes do not appear upon the surface of society, they will be 
found in its secret recesses. Licentiousness, falsehood, cunning, 
meanness, and treachery will be found all but universal. That 
this is the condition of things in China is the uniform testimony of 
travelers. Life, death, time, eternity, in their higher aspects, 
they do not understand. 

Polygamy, in the form of concubinage, prevails in China. One, 
however, is acknowledged as wife ; the others are considered as 
inferior wives. Marriage is arranged by the parents, and is a 
matter of contract and sale. Marriage ceremonies are occasions of 
great festivity and merriment. Indeed, the Chinese are exceed- 
ingly fond of all sorts of feasting and merry-making. To us most 
of their amusements would appear childish and grotesque. Gam- 
bling is universal. Hucksters at the roadside are provided with a 
cup and saucer, and the clicking of their dice is heard at every 
corner. A boy with " two cash," prefers to risk their loss on the 
throw of a die, to simply buying a cake or a piece of sugar-candy, 
without trying the chance of getting it for nothing. Gaming- 
houses are found every where, their keepers paying a bribe to the 
local officers, who can hardly be supposed to deal very severely 
with a practice in which they have been educated from childhood. 
Women, in the privacy of their apartments, while away their time 
at cards and dominoes. Porters play by the wayside while wait- 
ing for employment, and the moment the retinue of an officer are 
relieved from duty, or have seen their officers enter a house, 
they pull out their cards or dice and squat down to a game. 
Betting on " cricket or quail fights" is a favorite amusement. 
Cheating, in matters of trade, is regarded at once as profitable and 
amusing. They have a thousand methods of increasing the weight 
of saleable articles, as, for example, giving salt to a pig, in order 



CHESTA. 495 

that it may drink an immense quantity of water, before it is killed, 
stuffing fowls«with sand, and so forth. " A Chinese requires but 
little motive to falsify, and he is constantly sharpening his wits to 
cozen his customer, wheedle him by promises, and cheat him in 
goods or work." 

The Chinese have a multitude of festivals, both secular and 
sacred. The beginning of the new year is an occasion of universal 
rejoicing, feasting, frolicking, and making presents to one another. 
Jugglers, mountebanks, strolling play-actors, and similar charac- 
ters are all agog, making merry for a few coppers. Friends visit 
at each others' houses, wish each other a happy new year ; parents 
receive the prostrations of their children, and teachers of their 
pupils. One good arrangement certainly connected with this fes- 
tival is, that no debt is allowed to pass over into the new year, 
without some settlement or arrangement satisfactory to the parties, 
if it be possible. Those whose liabilities exceed their means are 
generally compelled to wind up their affairs, and give their prop- 
erty into the hands of their creditors. De Guignes mentions one 
expedient to oblige a man to pay his debts at this season, which 
is to carry off the door of his shop or house ; for, according to the 
universal belief, his premises and person will be exposed to the 
anger and entrance of all the hungry and malignant demons 
prowling around the streets, and happiness will never again enter 
his abode ; to avoid which most persons find it to their advantage 
to settle their debts. 

Theatrical amusements, some of them puerile enough, are very 
popular in China. Jugglery is, if possible, still more common 
and attractive. In this department, the Chinese display wonder- 
ful dexterity and skill. Indeed, we are not sure but China is the 
fountain whence have sprung most of the juggling tricks which 
are popular in Europe. They seem to be more natural to the 
Chinese than to almost any other people. Ingenuity, finesse, 
mechanical skill, imitativeness, cunning, and trick, appear to be 
innate parts of their constitution. 

In concluding our sketches of China and the Chinese, we may 
say, that while they have many vices they have also some virtues. 
They are orderly, industrious, and polite ; upon the whole, good- 
natured, respectful to superiors, and especially to parents. Some 
of their great men have exhibited noble qualities. Confucius and 
Mencius, especially, though not free from imperfections, and es- 
pecially destitute of lofty spiritual views, left behind them many 
excellent moral and prudential maxims, which though by no means 
universally observed, exert upon the Chinese a favorable and con- 
servative influence. What they want is a deeper, purer, more 



496 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



powerful faith, with the facilities and motives which this would 
supply to a freer and higher development. The labors of Mor- 
rison, Marshman, Bridgman, Goddard, Dean, Parker, Gutzlaff, 
and others, in translating the Scriptures into the Chinese tongue, 
and preaching to the natives, have not been without salutary- 
effect. The missions established in the free ports, which are grad- 
ually extending their influence into the interior, give promise of 
great usefulness. Some of the native preachers, one of whom we 
have seen and conversed with, are intelligent and earnest, and 
will, doubtless, gain access to the hearts of their countrymen. 
That will be a glorious day, when, according to the prediction of 
the prophets, " the land of Sinim" shall receive the gospel. 

Our limits will scarcely permit us to say any thing of Siam, a 
country with much the same forms of belief and national usages 
as China, though inferior to the Celestial Empire, both in virtue 
and intelligence. The people generally are Buddhists in faith, 
and subjected to a wretched despotism. An interesting Protest- 
ant mission has been established in Bangkok, the capital, where 
there are many Chinese traders. 

Japan, called Niphon by the natives, though comprised in sev- 
eral islands, may be considered in connection with India beyond 
the Ganges. It has a population of forty or fifty millions, as is 
generally supposed, although the information upon this point is 
quite uncertain. The people seem to be a mixture of Mongolian 
and Malayan races, generally well made, of yellow complexions, 
with small bright eyes, short flattish noses, broad heads, and thick 
black hair, which, however, is worn only in a long tuft upon the 
crown, the sides of the head being constantly shaved. Their in- 
ternal trade and commerce are considerable, but the country is 
completely shut up to foreigners. Once the Jesuit missionaries 
gained many converts in Japan, but intriguing for power, as in 
China, they were violently expelled, since which time Japan has 
been inaccessible to Europeans. The government is an absolute 
despotism, the emperor being regarded as a divinity. The sover- 
eign line is never broken, an heir to the throne being supplied, 
as the priests and rulers claim, from Heaven, though taken secretly 
from one of the families of the nobility. Buddhism prevails in 
Japan, but the old and prevalent form of religion is called Sin- 
siu (faith in gods), or, according to others, Kamino-mitsi, or the 
ivay to the Kami, or gods. They recognize indistinctly a supreme 
Deity, but too great and too distant to be worshiped, save through 
the Mikado, or Son of Heaven, or inferior spirits called Kami, of 
which 492 were born spirits, and 2640 are canonized mortals. 
For the worship of these oratories are erected in every house., and 



JAPAN. . 497 

in public, many splendid temples, with large gates and triumphal 
arches. 

The Japanese are semi-civilized, and make some pretensions to 
knowledge and refinement. They are industrious and active, 
and their females are allowed more freedom than ladies in China. 
Polygamy is not practiced, but concubinage is common. Licen- 
tiousness is said to be universal. Their judicial code is severe and 
even vindictive. Their prisons for confinement and torture are 
dismal and revolting. The emperor receives divine honors : his 
person is carefully secluded from all contact with the outward 
world. He never leaves his palace. The fresh air or sunshine 
is not permitted to touch him. He never eats twice off the same 
dish. It is invariably broken, to prevent its falling into unhallowed 
hands. His hair, nails, and beard are not cleaned or cut by day- 
light, these operations being always performed when he is asleep. 

The population is divided into eight castes, carefully preserved — 
the princes, nobles, priests, soldiers, civil officers, merchants, arti- 
sans, and laborers, agricultual or otherwise. In some respects 
they resemble the Chinese, but in others essentially differ from 
them, both in character, appearance, and usages. Agriculture 
and the mechanic arts are carried to considerable perfection. Print- 
ing was introduced in the thirteenth century, and is conducted, as 
in China, by means of wooden blocks. The people, particularly 
the ladies, are fond of music. Pilgrimages and processions are 
common. The great temples, sacred to the various genii, are 
much thronged. Every thing in religion, morals, ceremonies, and 
usages is fixed and permanent. Pride, superstition, and fear make 
the whole immovable. 



498 



THE WORLD WE LIVE IN". 



CHAPTER XXXVII, 



AFRICA 





The fourth great division of the globe, Africa, touches Asia, 
and, so to speak, mingles with it, on the one hand, and were it 
not for the narrow strait of Gibraltar, would touch Europe on the 
other ; yet Africa, to a great extent, is a world by itself, with 
new forms of life and vegetation. Arabia and Turkey, however, 
have colonized nearly the whole of Northern Africa, and impressed 
their character upon the population. England is modifying the 
extreme southern point of the continent, while France has settled 
a single though not nourishing colony in Algiers ; but, with these 
exceptions, Africa has its peculiar population and peculiar charac- 
teristics. Of vast extent, it is only partially explored, large tracts 
of country, chiefly in the interior, being yet unknown. Its area 



AFKICA. 499 

.probably exceeds 12,000,000 square miles; by far the greater 
part lies within the torrid zone, and is occupied by aboriginal in- 
habitants, of the negro races, in a state of barbarism. It is im- 
possible exactly to estimate the number of the whole population. 
According to Balbi it contains 60,000,000 ; Malte-Brun makes it 
70,000,000, the Weimar Almanac 101,000,000 ; but these are 
only guesses. 

Africa is distinguished from the other continents by the uniform 
outline of its coasts, having few or no peninsulas, and thus forms 
a more compact and uniform mass of land. In its high table- 
lands, low plains, and immense deserts, it somewhat resembles 
Northern Asia. 

Central Africa, from near the equator to about the sixth degree 
north latitude, and from the tenth to the thirtieth degree of longi- 
tude east of Greenwich, is " one great mountain region of extraor- 
dinary humidity," the high mountain tops of which collect all the 
floating mists of the equatorial regions, producing a severe drought 
for a thousand miles in every direction, above and below, and yet 
forming a natural reservoir whence flow all the rivers which water 
the continent. On the southern boundary of this intex-ior region 
lie the Mountains of the Moon, one of the highest peaks of which 
is Mount Kenia, under the equator, more than fifteen thousand 
feet high, and rising into the limits of perpetual snow. On the 
north side of this mountain rises the river Dana, emptying into 
the Indian Ocean, and, it is supposed by some, from the declivity 
still further north, the Abiad or White Nile. 

This high region is bounded on the west by the Cameroon 
Mountains, of somewat inferior hight, and running near the Gulf 
of Guinea. On the north are the Mandara Mountains, on the 
slopes of which lie the numerous kingdoms of Soudan. They are 
precipitous, then highest peaks shooting up into pinnacles like 
some of the Alpine rocks. 

From this region of mountains issues the river Tchaddy, one of 
the principal streams of the Niger ; the Shary, which empties 
into Lake Tchad, that great interior sea of Africa ; and, perhaps, 
the White Nile. This region, however, is almost entirely unex- 
plored, though missionaries are beginning to penetrate its vast and 
hidden recesses. An interesting and important discovery has been 
recently made, an account of which has been published from the 
pen of the Rev. David Livingston, stationed at Kolobeng, in South- 
ern Africa, from which place he traveled, in company with two en- 
terprising English travelers, Messrs. Murray and Oswell, a distance 
of 300 miles, where he struck the river Zonga, in lat. 21° 30', 
long. 26° 45', which runs in an easterly direction. He then fol- 



500 THE WOULD WE LIVE IN. 



lowed up the river in a winding northwesterly course, when he 
came to the lake Ngami, so long an object to travelers. Into this 
lake large rivers flow from the north. The whole region of coun- 
try through which Mr. L. passed is alike interesting from its in- 
habitants, animals, and vegetable productions. 

" Previous to leaving this beautiful river (the Zonga)," says Mr. 
L., " I feel anxious to furnish you with the impressions produced 
on my mind by it and its inhabitants, the Bakoba or Bayeiye. 
They are a totally distinct race from the Bechuanas. They call 
themselves Bayeiye, or men, while the term Bakoba (the name 
has somewhat the meaning of " slaves") is applied to them by 
the Bechuanas. Their complexion is darker than that of the 
Bechuanas ; and of 300 words I collected of their language only 
twenty- one bear any resemblance to Sitchuana. They paddle 
along the rivers and lake in canoes hollowed out of the trunks of 
single trees ; take fish in nets made of a weed which abounds on 
the banks ; and kill hippopotami with harpoons attached to ropes. 
We greatly admire the frank, manly bearing of these inland sailors. 
Many of them spoke Sitchuana fluently, and, while the wagon 
went along the bank, I greatly enjoyed following the windings of 
the river in one of their primitive craft, and visiting their little 
villages among the reed. The banks are beautiful beyond any 
we had ever seen, except perhaps some parts of the Clyde. They 
are covered, in general, with gigantic trees, some of them bearing 
fruit, and quite new. Two, of the Boabob variety, measured sev- 
enty to seventy-six feet in circumference. The higher we ascended 
the river the broader it became, until we often saw more than 
100 yards of clear deep water between the broad belt of reed 
which grows in shallower parts. The water was clear as crystal, 
and as we approached the point of junction with other large rivers, 
reported to exist in the north, it was quite soft and cold. The fact 
that the Zonga is connected with large rivers coming from the 
north awakens emotions in my mind, which make the discovery of 
the lake dwindle out of sight. It opens the prospect of a high- 
way, capable of being quickly traversed by boats to a large sec- 
tion of well-peopled territory. The hopes which that prospect 
inspires for the benighted inhabitants might, if uttered, call forth 
the charge of enthusiasm. 

" One remarkable feature in this river is its periodical rise and 
fall. It has risen nearly three feet in hight since our arrival, and 
this is the dry season. That the rise is not caused by rains is evi- 
dent from the water being so pure. Its purity and softness in- 
creased as we ascended toward its junction with the Tamunakle, 
from which, although connected with the lake, it derives the pres- 



AFEICA. 501 

ent increased supply. The sharpness of the air caused an amazing 
keenness of appetite, at an elevation of little more than 2000 feet 
above the level of the sea (water boiled at 207^ deg. thermome- 
ter), and the reports of the Bayeiye, that the waters came from a 
mountainous region, suggested the conclusion that the increase of 
the water at the beginning and middle of the dry season must be 
derived from melting snow. 

" All the rivers reported, to the north of this, have Bayeiye 
upon them, and there are other tribes on their banks. To one of 
these, after visiting the Batavana, and taking a peep at the broad 
part of the lake, we directed our course. But the Batavana chief 
managed to obstruct us, by keeping all the Bayeiye near the 
ford, on the opposite bank of the Zonga. African chiefs invaria- 
bly dislike to see strangers passing them to tribes beyond. Sebi- 
toane, the chief who in former years saved the life of Sechele, 
our chief, lives about ten days northeast of the Batavana. The 
latter sent a present as a token of gratitude. This would have 
been a good introduction ; the knowledge of the language, how- 
ever, is the best we can have. I endeavored to construct a raft, 
at a part which was only fifty or sixty yards wide, but the wood, 
though sun-dried, was so heavy it sunk immediately ; another 
kind would not bear my weight, although a considerable portion 
of my person was under water. I could have swam across, and 
fain would have done it ; but, landing without clothes, and then 
demanding of the Bakoba the loan of a boat, would scarcely be 
the thing for a messenger of peace, even though no alligator met 
me in the passage. 

" The Bayeiye, or Bakoba, listened to the statements made from 
the Divine Word with great attention, and, if I am not mistaken, 
seemed to understand the Message of Mercy delivered, better 
than any people to whom I have preached for the first time. 
They have invariably a great many charms in the villages ; stated 
the name of God in their language, without the least hesitation, 
to be ' Oreeja ;' mentioned the name of the first man and woman, 
and some traditionary statements respecting the flood. I shall 
not, however, take these for certain, till I have more knowledge 
of their language. They are found dwelling among the reed 
all round the lake, and on the banks of all the rivers to the 
north. 

" With the periodical flow of the rivers great shoals of fish de- 
scend. The people could give no reason for the rise of the water, 
further than that a chief, who lives in a part of the country to 
the north, called Mazzekiva, kills a man annually, and throws his 
body into the stream, after which the water begins to flow. When 



502 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



■will they know Him who was slain, that whosoever will, might 
drink of the water of life freely ! 

" The principal disease reported to prevail at certain seasons, 
appears, from the account of the symptoms the natives give, to 
be pneumonia, and not fever. When the wind rises to an ordinary 
breeze, such immense clouds of dust arise from numerous dried- 
out lakes, called salt-pans, that the whole atmosphere becomes 
quite yellow, and one cannot distinguish objects more than two 
miles off. It causes irritation in the eyes, and, as wind prevails 
almost constantly at certain seasons, this impalpable powder may 
act as it does among the grinders in Sheffield. We observed 
cough among them, a complaint almost unknown at Kolobeng. 
Musquitoes swarm in summer, and the Banyan and Palmyra give 
in some parts an Indian cast to the scenery. Who will go in to 
possess this goodly land in the name of Him whose right it is to 
reign '?" 

New tribes and regions have also been found in Western Africa, 
One of these, the Vy nation, " living far in the interior," says Mr. 
Koelle, at Sierra Leone, " is found to possess a written language, 
a thing unheard of among the aboriginal tribes of Africa. Libe- 
ria, the free Christian colony, now an independent nation, from 
the United States, is destined to exert a favorable influence on 
Western Africa. May we not, therefore, cherish the hope that as 
religion advances among the natives, commerce and civilization 
will speedily follow, and that this strange, mysterious, gloomy 
continent will be filled with light and joy ?" 

" Soon will its radiance redden Niger's stream ; 
Soon shall the hum of trade arise, like roar 
Of rushing waters, in Timbuctoo's streets. 
Soon shall its dawn awake on Atlas' brow, 
And blush in beauty o'er the Congo coast. 
Freedom, in all its brightness, soon will paint 
Afric's dark skies with rays of fairest hue ; 
Learning, again, on Nile's slow current sail ; 
And fair religion, with her heaven-turned face, 
Bring peace and love to Niger's sun-scorch'd banks." 

" What a wonderful continent," says a writer in one of the for- 
eign Reviews, " is this rounded, smooth-shored Africa, known 
from the earliest dawn of time, yet so unknown ; the granary of 
nations, yet sterile and fruitless as the sea ; swarming with life, 
yet dazzling the eyes with its vast tract of glittering sand ! North 
America, first seen but the other day, has been probed from end 
to end ; its gallant and respective Philips, Tecumsehs, and Monte- 
zumas, have been bridled and broken by the white man ; but 



AFRICA. 503 

Africa has seen no Cortez, or even a De Soto or La Salle, ' wring 
favor from fate.' Some solitary Mungo Park, or faithful Lander, 
or persevering Burckhardt, alone has tried to read the secret of 
the mother of civilization, the gray-haired Africa. 

" If we seek a land of romance and mystery, what quarter of the 
globe compares with that which holds the pyramids ; the giant 
Theban temples, one roof of which clusters a modern village ; 
the solemn hewn mountain cliff of a Sphinx ; the ruins of Car- 
thage ; the Nile, with its hidden sources ; the Niger, with its un- 
known outlet ; the heaven-bearing Atlas ; the dimly seen Mount- 
ains of the Moon. 

" There, reader, the slave rose romantically to be the ruler of 
millions ; there Moses, floating in his cradle, is saved by a king's 
daughter, and like the hero of some earlier chivalry, breaks the 
bonds of his people, and founds a new and mighty nation. There 
was the home of Dido, of Hannibal, the scene of Scipio's triumphs 
and Jugurtha's crimes ; there lived Tertullian, Athanasius, and 
Augustine ; the romance of the Moors dwelt there ; the last- 
breath of Louis of France was drawn there. 

" Africa is the home of the leviathan, the behemoth, the unicorn, 
the giraffe, the slight antelope, the earth-shaking elephant, the 
unaccountable lion, the all-conquering buffalo. It is the home, 
too, of the mysterious negro races, yet lying dormant in the germ, 
destined, perhaps, to rule this earth, when our proud Anglo-Saxon 
blood is as corrupt as that of the descendants of Homer and 
Pericles. 

" The past, present, and future of Africa, are alike wrapped in 
mystery. Who can tell us of the childhood of dark-browed 
Egypt, square shouldered and energetic ? Carthage, the England 
of the old world's rulers, has not even a romancing Livy, still 
less an unwearied Niebuhr, to explain her rise, and untangle the 
mysteries of her constitution. Of all the vast interior, what do 
we know more than the Punic merchants, who, like us, dealt 
there, taking slaves, ivory, and gold ? 

" And what can we hope hereafter to see in those immense, un- 
known lands ? God has enabled the European to drive the North 
American, step by step, toward extinction, and has given a great 
continent the full development and trial of whatever permanent 
power the Caucasian race possesses ; but Africa he has preserved 
— for what ? For future contest ? For an imported foreign civil- 
ization, to be entered through Liberias and Cape Colonies ? 
France and Britain are watching each other now along those burn- 
ing sands, as they once watched by the icy rocks of Canada and 
Acadia : is it to end in the same subjection of the aboriginal own- 



504 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



ers to one or both of these ? Or does the dark race, in all its 
varieties, possess a capacity for understanding, and living out the 
deep meaning of the world's ruler, Christianity, as the offspring 
of the followers of Odin never did, and never can, understand 
and act it ? 

" If the old Egyptian Sesostris had paused to contemplate the 
illiterate wanderers of Greece, to whom Cadmus was just striving 
to make known the letters of Phoenicia, would not Plato and Aris- 
totle have seemed as impossible to him as the existence in Africa 
of a higher Christianity than has yet been seen, seems to us? 
Would not the present position of the Teutonic race have appeared 
equally incredible to the founder of the Parthenon, the loungers 
in the gardens of the Academy?" 

Africa contains as great a variety of races as any other grand 
division of the globe, nay, perhaps a greater variety, highly con- 
trasted in their appearance, structure, habits, and institutions.* 
The negroes themselves are of different races, and of various 
forms and colors ; some being dark as Erebus, and others shading 
into an olive, a brown, and a yellow. Some are short and squat, 
others tall and well formed. Their languages also are essentially 
different, a curious and interesting fact, most of them being rude 
and harsh, but some of them also elegant and harmonious. Some 
striking discoveries have been made upon this subject, by the 
missionaries among the tribes on the Gaboon river. 

Fetichism, or the worship of natural objects, animate or inani- 
mate, such as plants, birds, beasts, serpents, stones, rivers, mount- 
ains, &c, from the Portuguese Fetisso, something sacred or en- 
chanted, and that again from the Latin fanum, or fatum, is the 
prevalent religion of the African nations. The term Fetichism, 
however, is ordinarily applied to the more degraded forms of na- 
ture-worship, and thence appropriately designates the supersti- 
tions of the African races. They appear generally to admit a 
good and evil principle ; they have also their lucky and unlucky 
days. They are afraid of evil spirits, against which their priests 
claim the power of protecting their votaries. Several of these 
nations seem to have a national and supreme Fetiche. The peo- 
ple of Ouidah, or Widah, for example, worship the serpent, an 
order of priests and priestesses being set apart to the service of 
this reptile. The Bissagos worship the cock ; and the tribes of 
the Bight of Benin, who look upon their own shadow as a sort of 
divinity, have a lizard for their chief Fetiche. Other tribes wor- 

* We use the word race in a general sense, as equivalent to family or 
variety. 



AFRICA. 505 

ship hyenas, leopards, alligators, and other animals, and it is said, 
in some instances, sacrifice to them human beings. The Agows, 
who reside near the sources of the Nile, in Abyssinia, offer sacri- 
fices to the genius of that river. Some of the tribes of Nubia 
are said to be worshipers of the moon, while others pay homage 
to the sun. The Gallas hold as sacred certain trees and stones, 
the moon, and some of the stars. The negroes frequently form 
idols of clay, stone, or other materials, with a human countenance. 

Except in Abyssinia, which has an imperfect and superstitious 
form of Christianity, and the colonies founded in modern times by 
the Portuguese, the English, Americans, and others, the religion 
of Mohammed prevails in all the countries of Africa not devoted 
to Fetichism and idolatry. It is very widely diffused, extending 
over the whole of Barbary, Egypt, Nubia, &c, and being pro- 
fessed also by some of the more advanced negro tribes. With 
the exception of Egypt and Abyssinia, we may add, perhaps, of 
Monrovia and the Cape Colony, all the science and literature of 
Africa are of Arabic origin. The Arabs have schools estab- 
lished at Cairo, Merou, and Darfour, in the region of the Nile, in 
Morocco, Tunis, Algiers, Fez, Barbary, &c There are also schools 
among the Mandingoes, Foulahs, Jolofs, and other Mohammedan 
nations of Central Nigritia and Soudan. But Mohammedanism, 
though vastly superior to Fetichism, exists in Africa in its most 
degraded form, and leaves the people in a semi -barbarous state. 

But we will occupy the remaining part of this chapter in saying 
something of the various races in Africa, of whom seven varieties 
are usually named. These are the Egyptian, Numidian, Abys- 
sinian, Nubian, Kaffer, Hottentot, and Negro. The Egyptian race 
is represented by the Copts of Egypt, who have long hair, a yel- 
lowish, dusky complexion, neither Grecian nor Arabian, a puffed 
visage, protuberant eyes, flat nose, and thick lips, resembling 
somewhat the mixed or mulatto race formed of the European 
and the negro. These are the living representatives of the an- 
cient Egyptians, though probably intermixed with other races, 
and somewhat degenerated. It is not necessary to add that this 
is one of the oldest and most vigorous races, the people that built 
the pyramids, invented hieroglyphics, and maintained one of the 
strongest empires of ancient times. 

The Numidians inhabit the most northern portion of Africa, 
lying chiefly between the Mediterranean and the Great Sahara, or 
desert. They are known by the various names of Moors, Berbers, 
Tuanghis, and Tibbans, with an admixture of Arab blood, and are 
probably the descendants of the original inhabitants of the 
country, before its occupancy by the Phoenicians, Romans, Van- 

22 



506 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



dais, and Arabs. They represent, therefore, the ancient Numid- 
ians, Mauritanians, and Lybians. In this race the hair is long 
and black, eyes dark and piercing, the complexion a light brown, 
and the features generally rather European, but the nose not 
prominent, and never aquiline, as is frequently the case with the 
Arabian. This race is inferior in mental power, and has never 
made any progress in the arts and sciences. 

The Abyssinian race has some striking peculiarities. Their 
color is nearly black, but the hair is long and lank, like that of an 
Arabian or Hindoo, features regular, nose aquiline, and stature 
rather tall, like a European. This race has made some progress 
in civilization, in literature, and the arts. They cultivate the soil, 
and work in iron, brass, and copper. They possess, also, a rude 
and superstitious form of Christianity, and occupy the region usu- 
ally designated in ancient times as Ethiopia. 

The Nubians comprehend nearly all the people of Africa from 
the confines of Egypt on the south, the Red Sea and the Indian 
Ocean on the east, to about 8° of north latitude, and about the 
25th of east longitude, westward. In this race will be included 
the people called Barabra or Nuba, those of Sennaar, the Sumuli, 
Bishari, Gallas, and others. They have finely formed persons, of 
the middle size, a long oval countenance, lively dark eyes, a 
curved nose, rounding toward the lip, rather thick lips, though 
not protruding excessively, a retreating forehead, scanty beard, 
strongly frizzled, but never woolly hair, like that of the negro. 
Some of the nations of this race have made considerable progress 
in the arts of life. The language of the Gallas is said to be copi- 
ous and expressive. 

The Kaffirs and Hottentots are found in Soiithern Africa, and 
have characteristics which distinguish them from the ordinary 
negro races. 

The Kaffir is of a deep-brown color, with hair short, curling, 
and woolly, but not that of the negro, nose tolerably elevated, lips 
thick, the body muscular and athletic, and the facial angle uniformly 
larger than in the negro. They have domesticated the ox and 
horse, the sheep and the goat, and have made some progress in 
the useful arts. They are superior in energy of character to many 
of their neighbors, and suffer unwillingly the degradation to which 
some of them are subjected by the Dutch Boors at Cape Colony. 
It is a singular and distinctive trait, that they practice the rite 
of circumcision, from what source derived they cannot tell. 

The original country of the Hottentots may be described as that 
now occupied by the British colony of the Cape of Good Hope, 
where arts, agriculture, religion, and civilization are making com 



AFEICA. 507 

mendable progress, under European influence and the labors of 
various missionaries. In this race the color of the skin is a yel- 
lowish brown, "like that of a faded leaf." The cheek-bones are 
high and spread out sideways, from which the face is suddenly 
contracted below to a very narrow and pointed chin. The nose 
is flat and broad toward the end ; eyes of a deep chestnut color, long, 
narrow, and far separated from each other. The hair grows, not 
uniformly, but in small tufts, at certain distances from each other, 
upon the scalp. When cropped it has a brush-like appearance, 
though curled and twisted ; when suffered to grow long it hangs 
on the neck in hard-twisted tassels, like fringe. The beard of the 
Hottentot is scanty, and his stature only about four feet six inches, 
as the average for men, and four feet as that for women. They 
have some other peculiarities of structure not necessary to be men- 
tioned'here; but, altogether, they may be pronounced an ugly race, 
with a language which sounds like the cluck of a turkey. They live 
in the rudest manner. When discovered they had no fixed dwell- 
ings, and knew nothing of tillage or the arts. Their superiority to 
the lower animals around them was evinced in the fact that they 
had domesticated the ox and the sheep, clothed themselves in the 
skins of wild animals, and could communicate with each other by 
spoken language. But many of them have been converted by 
the labors of the Moravians and other missionaries, and prove that 
they have all the faculties and feelings which distinguish the hu- 
man character. 

There are other races, or varieties of races, some of which have 
been discovered only within a few years, while others probably 
yet remain undiscovered in the remote and inaccessible regions of 
the continent. The Bechuanas and others, among whom the cel- 
ebrated missionary, Moffat, has so successfully labored, have at- 
tracted much attention as a vigorous and promising stock. 

With the exception of those enumerated, and the various for- 
eigners who occupy the colonies, Europeans, Americans, and 
Asiatics, in Egypt, Algiers, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Colony, 
&c, the negro races occupy the entire remaining part of the Afri- 
can continent, commencing at the southern boundary of the Great 
Desert, and embracing both the western and eastern coasts, with 
the island of Madagascar. Their peculiarities are so well known 
that we will not describe them. It may be remarked, however, 
that these peculiarities, in some instances, are much modified — 
the color, as already stated, being sometimes a deep jet, then a 
brown, and sometimes even a mixed yellow. Generally, the hair 
is short and woolly, though sometimes long and curling. The 
hair of the Ashantees, for instance, sometimes reaches to the 



508 THE WOKLD WE LIVE IN. 



shoulders, and is rather curling than woolly. The negroes are 
vivacious, and, under favorable circumstances, acquire knowledge 
with facility. They are susceptible of deep and vivid religious 
emotions, though superstitious to excess in their native wilds. 

It may be remarked here, that while there are great varieties 
in the races of the African continent, these varieties form a scale, 
as it were, between two extremes, between which they oscillate, 
passing and repassing constantly into one another. Their true 
origin is probably inscrutable, yet no one can deny that circum- 
stances exert upon them an immense influence. Climate, position, 
usages, government — indeed, every thing pertaining to their con- 
dition, must modify, not simply their character, but their appear- 
ance. This is true even of the proper negro races. " The tribes," 
says Pritchard, " in whose prevalent conformation the negro type 
is discernible in an exaggerated degree, are uniformly in the lowest 
stage of human society ; they are either ferocious savages, or stupid, 
sensual, and indolent. Such are the Papals, Bulloms, and other 
rude hordes on the coast of Western Guinea, and in many tribes 
near the Slave Coast, and in the Bight of Benin ; countries where 
the slave trade has been carried on to the greatest extent, and has 
exercised its usual baleful influence. On the other hand, wher- 
ever we think of a negro State the inhabitants of which have 
attained any degree of improvement in their social condition, we 
constantly find that their physical characters deviate considerably 
from the strongly marked or exaggerated type of the negro. The 
Ashantee, the Sulema, the Dahomans are exemplifications of this 
remark. The negroes of Guber and Hausa, where a considerable 
degree of civilization has long existed, are, perhaps, the finest race 
of genuine negroes in the whole continent, unless the Jolofs are 
to be excepted. The Jolofs have been a comparatively civilized 
people from the era of their first discovery by the Portuguese."* 

* " Researches into the History of Man," a work of profound interest and 
great value, on the unity of the races. 



EGYPT. 



509 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 




Arabs in Costume. 

Of all the countries of Africa, Egypt, the ancient, the myste- 
rious, the foredoomed, possesses, on many accounts, the greatest 
interest. Once the most learned, the most magnificent in the 
world, it has been known for ages as " the basest of the king- 
doms." Her gorgeous ruins line the banks of the Nile, and relieve 
the monotony of the desert. Her ancient Pharaohs, nobles, priests, 
and warriors are no more ; new races occupy the scenes of ancient 
splendor, and the descendants of the original Egyptians, if they 
exist at all, exist only as slaves. Desolation is plainly written on 
the shores of the Nile. The new Mohammedan Egypt, it is true, 
struggles to rise, but struggles feebly. Despotism attempts new 
changes and transformations, but despotism never yet renovated a 



510 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



State. It only disturbs and disarranges ; and if apparently 
successful for a season, at length only hastens the downfall of 
nations. 

Let us ascend the Nile — the wonderful, the changeless, the 
bountiful Nile, amid tombs, temples, and pyramids, vast, solitary, 
stupendous ; and passing Alexandria and Cairo, with their motley 
population, numerous mosques, minarets, and narrow streets, glide 
by the half-buried cities of Memphis, once the capital of Egypt 
and the center of Egyptian wealth, commerce, and art — the an- 
cient Arsinoe, now Medinet el Fayoum — Siout, with its sepulchral 
grottoes, Thebes, Esne, Luxor, Syene, and their colossal temples — 
till we come to the Cataracts, beyond which stretches the Ethiopia 
of the ancients. The land is fertile, the atmosphere hot and bril- 
liant, and the landscape, though monotonous, yet frequently beau- 
tiful from the luxuriant vegetation, the green foliage of innumerable 
dates and palms, the presence of magnificent ruins, and the distant 
grandeur of mountain ranges. 

Egypt is a long, narrow valley, inclosed on either side by 
mountains, and were it not for the Nile would be a solitary desert ; 
but this gives it life, beauty, fruitfulness. The Nile, the Nile 
alone, is the time glory of Egypt ; and we need not wonder, there- 
fore, that in all ages it has been an object of homage and affec- 
tion to the natives. Rain rarely falls in Egypt, and only in ligbt 
showers ; thunder is equally infrequent. During eight months of 
the year the heat is overpowering ; the other months are compar- 
atively temperate. The Khamseens, or hot winds of the desert, 
which occasionally blow from the south, drink up the moisture of 
the body, blind the eyes with drifts of sand, and sometimes over- 
whelm the traveler in the wilderness. The Nile, which probably 
takes its rise in the far-off mountains of interior Africa, rolls its 
mighty tide, from north to south, a distance of some 2400 miles, 
and by its annual overflow diffuses fertility and joy through the 
thirsty land. It begins to rise when the sun is vertical in Ethio- 
pia, at the time of the annual rains in that country, which fall 
from the latter end of May to September, and sometimes October. 
At the hight of its flood, lower Egypt, which is a rich alluvial 
plain, looks almost like an inland sea, with little islands, on which 
stand the villages and cities, these being usually built on eminences 
and the higher grounds, the tops of forest and fruit trees, all the 
lower levels being covered with water. The occasion is celebrated 
by the inhabitants as a jubilee. The banks or mounds which 
confine the river are cut by the Pasha, attended by his grandees ; 
the water is then let into the grand canal, which runs through 
Cairo, whence it is let into cuts for supplying the fields and gar- 



EGYPT. 511 

dens. The irrigation is accomplished by machinery. When the 
waters retire, vegetation springs up like a thing of life. The labors 
of the husbandman are next to nothing. The harvest comes as a 
matter of course, or rather, we ought to say, as the boon of Prov- 
idence. Wheat, barley, rice cover the fields. Oranges and lem- 
ons perfume the air; dates, grapes, figs, apricots delight the 
vision ; and date-trees, which are used for a great variety of pur- 
poses, bloom in every part of the exuberant landscape. 

It will thus be seen that Egypt possesses considerable agricul- 
tural wealth. Its commerce is fair ; cotton is exported in consid- 
erable quantities. Caravans are sent to Abyssinia, Darfur, Sennaar, 
Barbary, and Syria. There is considerable trade with the ports 
of the Red Sea. Alexandria is the principal mart of European 
commerce. 

Egypt has a population of about two millions and a half, of 
great variety, consisting of Turks, Arabs, Fellahs, Copts, Jews, 
Nubians, &c, governed by a rigorous despotism, severely taxed, 
and without much effective means of education and social improve- 
ment. The principal form of religion is Mohammedanism, in its 
most harsh and fanatical form. Schools are rare, and a single 
college, we believe, has been established by the government. The 
Pasha favors the introduction of European science and usages, 
which circumstance creates, for the present, an internal social 
struggle between new and old forms, ideas, and sentiments, the 
issues of which may be considered doubtful. By this means, 
however, Egypt is now more fully open to Christianity, which 
may yet reap glorious triumphs on the banks of the Nile. The 
country now possesses cotton and sugar manufactories, manufac- 
tories of arms, a polytechnic school, scientific institutions, and 
other establishments which will assist in developing its resources. 
A number of Egyptian youths, belonging to the more distinguished 
families, are sent to France, to Germany, and to England, in order 
to become familiar with European science and civilization, and to 
bring back into their country the fruits of their studies. But 
Egypt is yet subjugated by Mussulman barbarism. The Turks, 
a race of conquerors, are impetuous, arrogant, despotic, and con- 
stantly oppress the native population. No laws are strictly ob- 
served in Egypt. Justice is an empty sound. Physical force, 
money, bribery, control all things. Of course individual liberty, 
the source of all civilization, is unknown in such a country. If 
soldiers or laborers on public works are needed by the government, 
a village or town is surrounded at daybreak, a military force 
enters, and all the males are taken off from the age of seven or 
eight years to forty. The children cry, the women weep and 



512 THE WORLD WE LIVE JN. 



wring their hands. No matter ; resistance is vain. The unhappy 
victims are driven off : if they complain, they are beaten ; if they 
revolt, their heads are cut off ; if they grow sick or die, as many 
do, they are left on the road. 

We will here describe briefly the various classes of the popula- 
tion, as this will give as lively an idea of the state of the country 
as any thing else. 

We have spoken of the Turks, the lords of Egypt, and we need 
say nothing more of them. 

The Copts (from the Greek gupt, a vulture, whence Egypt) are 
supposed to be descendants of the ancient native Egyptians. They 
have a symmetrical form, thin lips, a long face, sometimes resem- 
bling more the Jew than the Egyptian. They bear the name of 
Christians, and have many ancient books and manuscripts in the 
Coptic tongue ; but their Christianity is of the lowest and most 
superstitious sort. The Christian Church in Egypt was once 
flourishing, but was soon corrupted. The invasions of the Mus- 
sulmans have greatly increased the ignorance and barbarism of 
the Copts. 

There are convents among the Copts ; but, three or four ex- 
cepted, they do not resemble the monasteries of Romanism ; for 
they are inhabited by married women. We copy a curious scene 
on this subject. " We arrived," says Mrs. de Gasparin, " before 
the convent of St. Anthony. My husband had a copy of the Bible 
under his arm, and I Avas indignant at the monastic life. We en- 
tered a gate, and found ourselves in a court-yard surrounded with 
buildings : children ran to meet us ; young women advanced, with 
their food in their hands : among them two Coptic priests : they 
shook hands very pleasantly. We were quite surprised. 

" 'And where are the monks ?' 

" ' There are no monks here ; we are priests, and we live in com- 
munity, each in his house.' 

" ' But is this not then a convent ?' 

" ' Yes, yes, — it is a convent !' 

" The Superior explained to us the riddle. All the convents 
of Egypt, except those of lakes Natrous, <fcc, are transformed 
into simple villages. Four or five married priests live there : some 
Coptic families are settled around them. One of the priests ex- 
ercises a sort of watch over the community. Each one cultivates 
his grounds, says his prayers in the church, educates his children, 
loves his wife, and lives quietly. If there must be convents, these 
are to my mind. I could not help expressing frankly to the 
priests, the satisfaction I felt to find them married. . . . The Copts 
showed us their church ; it is a circular room, surmounted with a 



EGYPT. 513 

cupola, and is shaped like a mosque ; on one side is an open 
sanctuary, with some pictures." 

The Copts are little respected, and have no influence with the 
government. Degraded in the eyes of the Turks, their sole am- 
bition is to obtain a bare toleration, and to practice unmolested 
the religion of their fathers. They are not the persons to regen- 
erate Egypt. 

The Copts reside chiefly in Upper Egypt, and do not exceed 
160,000 souls. They are industrious and quiet. Some of their 
females are quite graceful in appearance and manners. 

The Fellahs, or Arab cultivators, the descendants of the an- 
cient conquerors of Egypt, form more than four-fifths of the en- 
tire population. They are well formed and active, though lean 
and meager — generally wretchedly poor, though perhaps not un- 
happy. They take little thought for the morrow, happy to be 
able to eat their bread, baked under the ashes, and call upon the 
name of Allah. 

The Fellah has a low forehead, prominent eyes, thick eyebrows, 
high cheek-bones, a thin beard, tall form, a mild but vacant air. 
The houses of the Fellahs are wretched, having no windows nor 
roofs ; the light, the air, and smoke enter and escape by the door. 
In these huts is no furniture but an iron pot, a leathern bottle, 
some earthen mugs, a mat : the Fellahs do not feel the need of 
any thing else. The men are scarcely clothed ; the women are 
covered with a simple cotton cloth ; but under a burning climate, 
where the rain never falls, nothing more is necessary. They do 
not drink wine, nor eat pork, because Mohammed has forbidden it ; 
of other provisions they have plenty. 

Individual property is sadly insecure in Egypt : it would be 
even too much to say that it exists. The pashas are always con- 
sidered as owners of the soil. They distribute, they give whole 
villages to sheiks, or inferior chiefs. The sheik inspects the labor 
of his men, governs them as he pleases, and exacts money, a good 
deal of money, of which he sends a very small part to the pasha. 
It has been calculated that the public treasury does not receive 
the fifth part of taxes extorted from the people. If any Fellahs 
cannot pay the tax imposed upon them, all the village is obligated 
to make up the sum demanded. With such taxation, how could 
agriculture flourish and wealth increase ? 

The Fellahs, however, labor on, suffer all sorts of oppression, 
occasionally lose their eyes, cut off their fingers, and otherwise 
maim themselves, to be kept from conscription, and make the 
most of their miserable life. 

Slaves are found in Egypt, brought from Nubia, Abyssinia, 
22* 



5H THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



and Sennaar, most of them being of the black race, though not 
all negroes. The slaves are said to be well treated in the East, 
but this is doubtful. They have no legal security whatever, and 
are often beaten, maltreated, maimed, and even killed. The slave- 
markets are as horrible as those of Brazil. The poor creatures, 
frequently females, crouch in the market, with shame and terror, 
and are struck off to the highest bidder, no matter whether they 
are young or old, black or white, robust or delicate. 

The women of Egypt, as in Turkey, are kept secluded and un- 
educated. Their dress is peculiar, leaving nothing visible but the 
dark, deep-set eyes. 

"The Jews of Egypt, as every where, are a peculiar race. In 
personal appearance they are by no means prepossessing. Their 
features, it is true, are often finely formed ; but they are a down- 
looking, gloomy tribe, as might be expected from the treatment 
they have so long experienced. Many of them are fairer than 
the rest of the population, which may be accounted for by their 
Syrian origin. It has been remarked that they are frequently 
bloated in appearance, and are liable to sore eyes ; and some 
attribute the circumstance to the immoderate use of sesame oil. 
Whether this be the case or not, certain it is that this peculiarity 
in their cookery gives their persons a very unpleasant odor, so 
that you may know a Jew in the dark. I ought to add, that 
almost all the Eastern Jews I have seen are very different in the 
type of their features from those of Eui'ope ; and that I do not 
remember to have noticed the real Hebrew nose more than once, 
namely, on the face of a young money-changer in Alexandria, 
whose father rejoiced in a regular pug. The women, on the 
other hand, in as far as I have been able to ascertain, preserve a 
very characteristic cast of countenance. They are often hand- 
some and well made. Their mode of life and character resemble 
that of the Levantines, between whom and them, however, there 
exists an insuperable antipathy." 

It is the custom for the Jews in Egypt to celebrate very strictly 
the Feast of Tabernacles. During eight days they forsake their 
rooms, and sleep in little cabins made of palm-leaves, on the ter- 
races of their houses. Those who have no convenient place for 
so doing are invited by their friends, so that on this occasion the 
roofs of the Jewish quarters are covered with a regular encamp- 
ment. The streets previously are absolutely filled with camels 
laden with palm-branches, which fetch a handsome price, for 
there is an eager demand for them. The Levantines say that 
on the first day of this festival the Jews go to their priest, and 
ask if it will be a good year. He oracularly and gutturally 



EGYPT. 515 

answers, " Ch — ." If the year be good, he says, " Did I not 
tell you ch — ?" meaning (cheir) good. But if it be a bad year, 
he says, " Did I not tell you ch — |" meaning (chara) bad. 

We add a few words respecting the domestic relations of the 
people, and upon this subject will draw chiefly from the accounts 
of Madame Gasparin, who enjoyed rare opportunities of becom- 
ing acquainted with their more interior life. The Mussulman 
must have at least one wife, or a slave ; celibacy is considered 
disgraceful, but personal inclination is not consulted. The affi- 
anced cannot see one another before being married. Women, 
called Kaibi, go through the harems, take account of the young 
marriageable girls, and make their report : if the girl is still a 
child, the father decides for her ; if she is of the age of reason, 
she accepts or refuses without constraint. She chooses then a 
representative, and the marriage is religiously celebrated between 
this proxy and the wife. Eight days after, the bride is led with 
great pomp to the house of her husband, who, during this time, 
is in the mosque. He returns slowly to her; for eagerness, in 
these circumstances, would be in bad taste. Then, for the first 
time, the married pair see each other. The husband comes to 
the wife, and takes off the cashmere vail, with which she is cov- 
ered. She makes resistance. On taking away this vail, he pro- 
nounces these words : In the name of the God of compassion and 
mercy. She replies by a blessing. When he has seen his wife, 
the husband goes back to his friends. If she displeases him, he 
waits a week to send her away. Two-thirds of the dowry be- 
stowed by the husband are given to the woman, to buy her some 
furniture. 

Divorce is extremely easy, and produces great evils. It is 
enough for the husband to say to the wife, Thou art divorced. 
The husband can send off and take back his wife three times. 
After the third divorce it is difficult. Divorce is so deeply rooted 
in the Mussulman habits that it is not rare to see men marry, in 
the space of ten years, twenty or thirty women. Many women 
have, in their turn, twelve to twenty husbands in the course of 
their life. 

The harems contain prisoners still more unhappy than the 
women, namely the slaves ; young girls of ten to twenty years, 
whose only office is to serve their mistresses, to answer to all their 
calls, to bear with their ill-humor, to dance and sing for their 
amusement. Mrs. de Gasparin saw four of these dancing- women ; 
she was startled at their sadness and dejection. "I have met 
with women in affliction ; I have seen the expression of despair ; 
I have seen that of hunger ; but I never before saw any thing so. 



516 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



heart-rending. Others who suffer, have days of happiness ; here 
are no joys to look back upon, none to expect. These female 
slaves have no mother, no family ; and they are not twenty years 
old ! And their days are sad, and their heart heavy in the soli- 
tude of their harem ! Oh ! how I wished to be able to open the 
prison : doors to these young girls, creatures of God, whom the 
Lord has made to worship and serve him, to love, and to be 
loved, and from whom infatuated men snatch their portion in 
heaven and upon earth !" 

The relations even of father and children are vitiated in this 
poisonous atmosphere. A son does not eat with his father ; he 
rarely sees him ; he feels no confidence in him. Badly educated, as 
soon as he is of age he is his own master. The indifference of chil- 
dren toward their parents ends almost always in utter ingratitude. 
Thus the whole family perishes, because it is corrupted in its source. 

But we must leave these interesting topics, and hasten to take 
a glance of the antiquities of Egypt ; for, after all, it is these which 
give to the country its principal charm. 

" It is not only the hieroglyphics of Egypt," says a celebrated 
Frenchman : " this country offers subjects of observation and medi- 
tation which no traveler can entirely neglect, whoever he may be, if 
he have eyes to see, a memory to remember, and a sprinkling of im- 
agination wherewith to dream. Who can be indifferent to tableaux 
of unaccountable nature on the banks of the Nile ? — to the spectacle 
of this river-land, that no other land resembles ? Who will not be 
moved in the presence of this people, which of old accomplished 
such mighty deeds, and now are reduced to a misery so extreme ? 
Who can visit Alexandria, Cairo, the Pyramids, Heliopolis, Thebes, 
without being moved by reminiscences th%most imposing and di- 
verse ? The Bible, Homer, Philosophy, Science, Greece, Rome, 
Christianity, Islamism. the Crusades, the French Revolution, 
almost every thing great in the world's history seems to converge 
into the pathway of him who traverses this memorable country. 
Abraham, Sesostris, Moses, Helen, Agesilaus, Alexander, Pompey, 
'Caesar, Cleopatra, Aristarchus, Plotinus, Origen, Athanasius, Sa- 
ladin, St. Louis, Napoleon — what names ! what contrasts ! A 
country made to occupy eternally the world, Egypt appears at 
the very origin of the traditions of Judea and Greece : Moses 
issues from her, Plato, Pythagoras, Lycurgus, Solon, Herodotus, 
Strabo, and Tacitus enter into her bosom to be initiated into her 
sciences, religion, and laws. She attracts the thoughts, to the 
tomb of Alexander, the piety of St. Louis, and the fortunes of 
Bonaparte ; and at this moment the object of the exaggerated at- 
tention of London and Paris is Ibrahim Pasha." 



EGYPT. 517 

Tlie information so long buried under the hieroglyphics of Egypt 
is now partially revealed. Those hieroglyphics, in the year 1846, 
were translated, and it was in the power of any intelligent man, 
with the aid of the dictionary and grammar of Champollion and 
the works of De Sacy and Rochette, to read these characters in 
words and sentences, and understand them, — a language res- 
cued from amid the crumbling ruins of temples and monuments, 
from a papyrus torn and defaced, and coeval with the times of 
Abraham and Moses. Egypt, the land of darkness, is no longer 
dark. That interesting people, who, notwithstanding their present 
degeneracy and depression, have sent the signs and impressions of 
thtir wisdom and greatness across 5000 centuries and the Western 
Ocean, we now know, as they once were, by their hieroglyphics 
and monuments. We see their labors and manuscripts explained 
and illuminated by pictures made so intelligible, that there can be 
no rational possibility of doubt as to their signification. We can 
read the names of their kings and dynasties, as also of their gods, 
and to whom, and by what king, such temples were erected. All 
of importance in regard to the families of the kings is revealed ; 
the orders of the priesthood are made known. 

Eminent hierologists are coming out with the whole Pharaonic 
family, in which will be found the names of the Chief Baker, of 
the Grand Admiral, and of the Master of the Rolls, in the time of 
Joseph. Among the representations now presented to our eyes, 
and dating back 3000 years before Christ, we discover the scenes 
and occupations of ordinary life among the Egyptians ; we see 
the funeral ceremonies ; we have their songs of mirth, the anthem 
with which they offered praises to the gods, and the dirge which 
saddened the company that consigned the body to the grave. 
We behold the mechanic employed in his work, the warrior, the 
smith, the physician, the painter, even the veterinary surgeon and 
barber, and the youth changing his raiment and shaving in prep- 
aration for company. We see some engaged in raising a colossus, 
others making brick like the Hebrew slaves. And among these 
monuments, and in painting, all the various utensils and ornaments 
exist, even the inkstand, jewelry, smelling-bottles, and dolls for 
the play of infancy, are found among them. Every variety, al- 
most, of fruit, is found in the tombs of Egypt : pomegranates, nuts, 
beans, peas, barley, have been found in these tombs, retaining 
their vegetable life, emblematic of the resurrection of those by 
whom they were once planted. Even the roasted duck or the 
beef exists, and attests to us, the Occidentals, across the oceans 
of time and space, that the ancients of Egypt shared in com- 
mon with us the appetites and wants of man. We find in many 



518 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



the images of those who slumber in their final mansions, produced 
with scientific art ; and on the sides of the tombs or sarcophagus, 
represented in hieroglyphics, the travels of the soul, not only the 
life present, but the wanderings and perils of that which is to 
come. Thus primeval Egypt stands revealed to us in her hiero- 
glyphics, her pictures with explanations beneath, her sculpture, 
and her various wonderful and illustrative memorials. If, in any 
case, we do not clearly understand the hieroglyphics, we can 
know the event to which they refer — the Deity to whom prayers 
were addressed — the king who reigned — and thus ascertain what 
the hieroglyphics do not say, if not what they precisely express. 

New light has recently been thrown upon the chronology of 
Egypt, derived from three new elements, the " Papyrus of Turin," 
known as the historic canon found in 1824 by Champollion, 
among other Egyptian records in the museum of that city ; the 
sculpture on the "Ancestral Hall of Carnac," and the "Tablet of 
Abydos." Monsieur Prisse has, with great difficulty and peril, 
secured the " Ancestral Hall of Carnac" (a small chapel by the 
side of the Temple of Carnac, nine feet long and twelve high, and 
covered on all sides with hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptian 
kings), and it now enriches one of the museums of Paris. 

The Papyrus of Turin has been deciphered by the labors of 
Lepsius, aided by Mr. Birch and the Chevalier Bunsen, and is 
now published, containing a list of the Egyptian kings from the 
mystic age to the Ramessides of the nineteenth dynasty, about 
1400 or 1500 years before Christ. The length of each reign and 
dynasty are given. It is shown by the learned Baruchi, that 
from Menes there must have reigned over Egypt to the time of 
Cambyses 450 kings — 119 before the Exodus of the Hebrews. 
And this deduction from the Canon or Papyrus of Turin is con- 
firmed by the Ancestral Hall of Carnac, and by the Tablet of 
Abydos and other memorials. Lepsius has found 400 Cartouches, 
emblems or signs for kings. On the Tablet of Abydos there is a 
great hiatus of several centuries about the time of the Shepherd 
Kings, but this is well-nigh supplied from the Hall of Carnac, and 
other records. 

Chevalier Bunsen has divided Egyptian history into three great 
periods, the old, the middle, and the new. The first embraces about 
a thousand years, as he supposes, beginning with Menes, and in- 
cluding the twelve dynasties of Manetho. During this age the Pyr- 
amids and Labyrinths were built. The second includes the time of 
the Hykshos or Shepherd Kings, and the events mentioned in the 
Scriptural History. The third extends from Aames, the founder 
of the eighteenth Theban dynasty, to Cambyses. The chronology 



EGYPT. 519 

of Egypt, however, is not yet fully investigated ; different dates 
and numbers are given by different archseologists, though all agrtie 
in assigning a remote antiquity to the early dynasties. From 
twenty-five hundred to three thousand years before Christ have 
been spoken of for the commencement of the first ; but of this we 
have no certainty. The common Scripture chronology usually 
assigns only 4004 years before Christ as the date of the creation 
of the present order of things ; but other Scripture chronologies 
give from 5000 to 6000 years before Christ as its proper date. 
And, indeed, the chronology of the world is not properly a matter 
of inspiration at all, as is generally supposed, but rather of human 
investigation and inference. The antiquities of Egypt, in many 
ways, strikingly confirm the truth of the Scripture history, and in 
no instance contradict it. 

As the subject of Egyptian antiquities is very extensive, we 
will confine ourselves only to the Pyramids, the Tombs, and the 
Mummies* 

Although explorations of the pyramids were made from 1788 
to 1825, it was subsequent to the latter period, that, under the in- 
structions of the new school of Champollion and his coadjutors, the 
most important discoveries were made. To Col. Howard Vyse, 
especially, is the world indebted for the most exact and complete 
measurements and descriptions. The great pyramid of Ghizeh 
was built over a small rocky eminence, varying in hight from 
twenty-two to seventy feet, and situated on the lower platform of 
the Lybian chain, which a few miles distant vanishes in the great 
desert. It is constructed of large blocks of limestone from the 
Lybian mountains, lined with granite brought from the upper 
cataracts of the Nile, a distance of 640 miles, and covered with 
white limestone from an Arabian mountain in the vicinity, which 
being smoothed with the utmost skill and care, was intended to 
preserve the monument forever from invasion, and gave it an al- 
most snow-white appearance. This casing, to the depth of about 
thirty feet, has been removed for building purposes, thus reducing 
to that extent the size and hight of the pyramid, and exposing to 
view the vast blocks of which the great mass of the structure is 
formed. This pyramid is at its base 746 feet square, and 450 
feet 9 inches in hight (having been originally 480 feet), and con- 
tains 89,028,000 cubic feet of masonry and 6,848,000 tons weight 
of limestone, from which, however, is to be deducted the granite 
blocks used in lining the interior. This pyramid covers thirteen 
acres, and a practical builder has said that were the materials 

* Our account is derived chiefly from Gliddon. 



520 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



converted into brick, they would be sufficient to build the city of 
Philadelphia, leaving at the same time in the granite blocks enough 
to construct all the churches and other public buildings. The 
blocks of limestone vary from two to five feet square. The casing 
stones, of white limestone (of which a few at the foundation were 
discovered by Col. Vyse), were eight feet three inches long, four 
feet three inches in hight, and four feet eleven inches in breadth. 

The ordinary Egyptian cubit was twenty-four inches and the 
royal cubit twenty-eight inches, by which measurement (supposed 
to be that of David and Solomon) the great pyramid is 280 cubits 
high, and the proportion of its base to its hight as eight to five. 
The pyramids were begun at the center of the base, and smoothed 
down from the top. The granite lining of the pyramids as well 
as the covering was finished with the greatest possible skill and 
beauty, so closely fitted together that hardly the width of a sheet 
of paper could pass between them, and so cemented that the stone 
might be as readily broken in another place as at that of the junc- 
tion. Some of these blocks were thirty-five feet long and five to 
eight thick. One chamber has a pointed roof with nine blocks of 
granite eighteen feet long. The great pyramid alone would fur- 
nish materials for more than a thousand monuments like that of 
Bunker Hill. 

It is well known that the interior of the pyramids is occupied 
with various chambers. These chambers are in different positions 
in the pyramids, sometimes below the foundations. Two air-pas- 
sages, one from the north and the other from the south side, com- 
municate with the central chamber. These are but a few inches 
in diameter, and were accidentally discovered. They were all 
sepulchral, and the names of many, if not all, the builders have 
been ascertained. Nine still exist at Ghizeh, and Col. Vyse has 
discovered the sites of foundations of thirty more in the same 
vicinity. The second in size is ascertained to be the most ancient, 
and the great pyramid next in time. 

The Memphite pyramids were constructed in that ante-historical 
period between the deluge and the era of Abraham and Moses, 
a period of high civilization and of general peace. The coun- 
try was, near the time of Abraham, invaded by the Hykshos or 
Shepherd Kings, from some region of the East, who ransacked 
the tombs and pyramids, and forced the Egyptians to the north, 
who built Thebes as their chief city. This occurred, it is ascer- 
tained, between the thirteenth and eighteenth dynasties, — an un- 
certain period, probably a thousand years, in which occurred the 
great events connected with the abode of the Israelites in Egypt. 
This is the debatable ground in chronology. Joseph was prime 



EGYPT. 521 

minister to one of these invading kings, and when the Egyptians 
drove out these foreigners there rose up another Pharaoh, who 
knew not Joseph. We have clear and authentic history from the 
commencement of the eighteenth dynasty, say 1722 years before 
Christ. Then was erected the famous sphinx — not at the time of 
the pyramids, but long after — probably designed to commemorate 
the restoration of the long-subverted power of the most ancient 
Egyptians. The last of the Memphite pyramids was constructed 
300 years before Abraham, 700 before Moses. After this resto- 
ration, Thebes towered above Memphis, though Memphis was still 
regarded as a second capital, and the kings were crowned there. 
But the fact of the opening and ransacking of the pyramids in- 
duced a total change in the mode of sepulture, and hence the ex- 
cavations and tombs in the Valley of the Kings, so beautiful, still 
so perfect, and adorned with so many important fragments of 
hieroglyphical history. When a king ascended the throne he 
commenced the preparation of his tomb, which, in extent, corre- 
sponded to the length of his reign, and from this ascertained fact 
in regard to the royal sepulchers of Thebes, is drawn the con- 
clusion that the size of the Memphite pyramids was in correspond- 
ence with the same custom or law. The Greek historians rep- 
resent thirty years as the time occupied in the construction of the 
great pyramid, and 100,000 men employed upon it at least several 
months in the year. There are in the vicinity of the pyramids 
countless thousands of private tombs, rising twenty feet above 
the ground and descending thirty feet below — ransacked, many 
of them, by the invading kings, and some of them now containing 
mummies of the Greek and Roman period. Lepsius and the Prus- 
sians have examined many which have for ages been filled with 
sand, and found the walls adorned with hieroglyphics, giving the 
genealogies of the original tenants, and many historical facts of 
the highest value. Vast numbers of drawings and antique speci- 
mens have been brought to Prussia from these tombs. One of 
these was found to be that of the architect of the great pyramid. 

The pyramids, then, were constructed exclusively as the sepul- 
chers of kings, and before the introduction of the Shepherd Kings. 
Nearly all are mausoleums, each of one king, whose size marks 
the proportionate length of his reign. They were built by the 
Missaimites — children of Ham, and of the Caucasian or white 
race. 

These pyramids are all built with exact reference to the points 
of the compass ; the entrance to all is on the north side. The 
angle of the great pyramid is 51° 50', its inclined hight 611 feet, 
and its perpendicular hight 450 feet 9 inches. It was originally 



522 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



perfectly smooth, but the exterior, to the depth of almost thirty- 
feet, has been removed, leaving the interior massive construction 
fully exposed to view. 

As to the mummies, the word is derived from the Arabs, who 
call the embalmed bodies of the Egyptians moomia. This term 
came to us in the time of the Crusades, and for a long time mum- 
mies were used in medicine. (See the works of Sir Thomas Brown.) 
The word came, it is supposed, originally from moom, in Arabic, 
signifying bitumen, which was largely used in embalming. It 
has been observed that our word coffin probably came from the 
Semitic Keffen, a winding-sheet in which the Mohammedans inclose 
their dead, not using a coffin like ours. 

The oldest sarcophagus known is in the British museum, and 
supposed to be of 3000 years duration. In the earliest age, 
they probably buried in the sand ; but animals, and even the 
swelling rivers, would disinter the bodies ; and they would natu- 
rally seek, as tools were brought into use, for more secure tombs 
and sepulchers for their dead. 

The western side of the Nile, with its rocky hills, afforded them 
the convenience and security they desired. There was also an- 
other reason for the choice of this region. The west, as being the 
point of the setting sun, was viewed by the early nations as the 
place of the dead. It was sacred among the Jews, as the Ereb 
of Genesis i. 10, whence the Erebus of the Greeks and the Mon- 
gret of the Arabians, who derive their name from the same root, 
because a people west of the Chaldeans. Hence also the name 
of the Berber tribes west of Egypt, the Barbara of the hiero- 
glyphics — hence Barbary and our word barbarian. The Ereb was 
the land of shades, where the sun went down; called by the 
Egyptians Ement, who therefore gave the name of Amenthi to 
the future unknown state of the dead. The Orientals generally 
buried, and still bury, their dead in the direction of east and 
west. 

To this region of the west, this land of fancy, where departed 
spirits might be supposed to wander, wrapt in such an indistinct 
and solemn shade, the ancient Egyptian turned and sought mansions 
of repose and security for the dead, where " the light of day dieth," 
and the sun (the original object of worship in all heathen mythol- 
ogy) hid his face and left the world in night. Thus they hewed 
out the sepulchers of their princes and people in the hills on the 
western banks of the Nile, to which, doubtless, the dead were con- 
veyed from the cities, and even from remote regions of the country. 
As to the sepulchral architecture of Egypt, it can be shown that 
the architecture of any nation may be traced far back, and that it 



EGYPT. 523 

partakes of the style of its ancient progenitors. The pagoda of the 
Chinese refers to the tented abodes of their nomadic ancestry, and 
the dwellings of the modern Turks to their Tartar encampments 
in Asia. We, as Anglo-Saxons, delight in the Gothic, emblematic 
of the branching and dark-frowning forests of Germany, while the 
Spaniards still adhere to the style of the Saracens whom they 
expelled from their country. The Arab, inhabiting a country of 
the palm-tree and craggy rocks, still delights to shape his pillars 
like the palm-tree, and to preserve the sharp points of rocks and 
stalactites found in the caverns of his mountains. 

It is observed that Egyptian architecture preserves a resem- 
blance to various vertical stalks of plants bound together at regu- 
lar intervals, and terminating in a capital representing the leaves 
of the lotus and papyrus, and often intermixed also with branches 
of the palm-tree. Not like the Grecian is the architrave found 
resting upon the flowers of the capital, but upon a square abacus, 
as though the column consisted of a central square beam, around 
which the flowers had been bound or wreathed in ornament. The 
plants around Grecian columns were of Grecian origin. The pil- 
lars of Jachin and Boaz, made by Hiram for Solomon, were adorned 
with lilies and pomegranates of Palestine. And in Egypt we find 
architecture decorated with the lotus, papyrus, and palm plants, 
indigenous, if not peculiar, to the valley of the Nile. 

In Chinese history alone do we find some records of primeval 
civilization, and even of a period when the custom of burying the 
dead was unknown. The duty of worshiping parents was en- 
joined by edict, and, as a consequence, that of entombing or bury- 
ing their remains with respect. It may be conjectured that similar 
was the progress of humanity in Egypt, and that the offensive 
state of the dead very early suggested the propriety of hiding 
them from sight, and that they were, enemies and friends, interred 
even before the Nomadic race pitched their tents on the banks of 
the Nile. It must be supposed that the population had increased 
to 2 or 3,000,000 before the Dike of Menes, or the pyramid Avas 
constructed ; the first a work for reclaiming the land, and the last 
of a magnitude not to be undertaken without a surplus popula- 
tion. During this period the valley of the Nile became extended, 
and in the outer part sandy by abrasions of silex and other mate- 
rials, brought by the winds from the hills, the Etesian being par- 
ticularly powerful, and by repeated inundations of the river, the 
bed of the Nile, like that of our own Mississippi, became elevated. 
Some large pillars of sand still remain to attest the mighty 
changes during past time on the globe. Burial in the sand, then, 
would naturally suggest itself as the earliest mode, and the pres- 



524 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



ervation of bodies by tbe heat and dryness of the atmosphere, and 
the salts of niter, common salt and alum, which abound in the sands 
of Egypt, suggested an artificial mode for the preservation of 
bodies, which at a later period, and for greater security, were con- 
signed to sepulchers in the rock. 

Indeed, it has been ascertained by modern science, that a solu- 
tion of the very salts found in the sands of Egypt, are the very 
best of all elements for the preservation of bodies. When, there- 
fore, they excavated the rocks and formed tombs, the Egyptians 
brought natron from their lakes, wrapped the body saturated with 
their salts in cloths, and dried them in ovens, and in some seventy 
days they were in a state to be transferred to their beds of final 
repose. We trace this art to circumstances connected with 
the valley of the Nile. Egypt is the same now, in A. D. 
1847, in its main features, as in B. C. 4000. Animal bodies 
are seen cast out on the sands, or hung in the atmosphere, 
preserved without corruption. All this matter of mummifica- 
tion was under the control of the Egyptian priesthood. Each 
temple had its arrangements for embalming, and the priests 
monopolized the whole profits, from those of the physician who 
dispatched the patient, to that of the undertaker who mummied 
him, and the sexton who buried him. 

The dead were conveyed to the tombs not only from the 
cities, but from great distances in the country. This embalm- 
ing is mentioned in Scripture, in reference to the bodies of Jacob 
and Joseph. 

As most of the tombs were west of the Nile, so Thebes and 
Memphis contained probably one-half the mummies of Egypt. 
The art as perfected and connected with the tombs, was coeval 
with the first pyramid, long prior to Moses, or the sixteenth or 
eighteenth century before Christ. In the long lapse of 3500 
years, during which the art of mummification prevailed in 
Egypt, for it is brought down to A. D. 650, and is men- 
tioned particularly by St. Augustine (who states that the Egyp- 
tians believe in a resurrection, and therefore reverence and em- 
balm the bodies of the dead), it may be interesting to form an 
estimate of the number of mummies which must have been con- 
signed to the sepulchers. Reducing the period to 3000 years, 
and supposing the average population of Egypt, during that time, 
to have been 5,000,000, and the duration of a generation 33 
years, the lowest possible estimate would be 450,000,000, and 
we may safely, I think, put it down at 500,000,000, — a number 
of bodies which, if we estimate the length of the mummy at five 
and a half feet, and in depth and width at a foot and a half, 



EGYPT. 525 

•would form a compact mass half a mile in measurement on 
each square side, and if the bodies were laid lengthwise in 
succession, they would extend more than twelve times around 
the globe. 

And if the construction of tombs was to be regarded as a test 
of civilization, no nation had claims to compare with the Egyp- 
tians. One of the tombs built 600 years before Christ, has a 
gallery of 862 feet, and covers an area, under ground, of one 
acre and a quarter. The use of sulphuric acid and soap had both 
been cited as tests of civilization among a people, but that of 
mummification was certainly superior to either of these, and this 
art was anciently much extended from Egypt. 

The cost of mummification varied according to the three orders 
or classes, and is estimated by the Greeks at $1200 for a body 
of the first class, $300 for the second, and $20 for the third. The 
great body probably belonged to the second class, though, consid- 
ering the large number of children, the cost must have fallen be- 
low that average. Yet estimating the cost at $20 for each body, 
the annual expense of mummification must have been some 
$3,330,000, all of which must have passed into the hands of the 
priests. They also derived a large revenue from the sepulchers, 
and from the linen cloth in which the dead were wrapped. The 
expense of this fine linen in which the dead were enveloped was 
enormous. The mummy was swathed, with the nicest skill, in 
strips of this cloth varying in width from a few inches to a foot. 
Some mummies were found wrapped in 46 rolls, and with 350 
square yards of cloth. Estimating the daily mortality among the 
Egyptian population at 274, and the cloth used for each at but 
three square yards, the annual consumption of linen for the dead 
would be 2,700,000 yards, which must cost, at the lowest possible 
calculation, $660,000. Of this manufacture of linen cloth the 
priesthood held a monopoly. They owned the land on which the 
flax was raised. The vast inclosures around their temples were 
the manufactories, and the women who wrought were in their 
employ. Nor need we wonder that this gigantic hierarchy labored 
to sustain a creed which induced the other classes to regard the 
embalming of the dead body as the essential means of securing 
eternal repose for the soul in the celestial regions. The tombs 
were owned by the priesthood, and subject to a rent, and, what 
was a singular custom, a debtor was obliged to give the mummies 
of his ancestors in pledge for the payment of his debts ; and if he 
died insolvent, his heirs, or next blood relations, became responsible. 

It should be observed that the earliest mummies were preserved 
without bitumen, and wrapped in woollen. Dr. Morton, of Phila- 



526 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



delphia, in examining certain crania presented to him by Mr. 
Gliddon, from the ancient Egyptian tombs, some years ago, noticed 
the absence of bitumen ; and it has since been ascertained from 
an inscription translated by Mr. Birch, that bitumen was among 
the articles offered to one of the monarchs in tribute by foreign- 
ers, from which it was clearly not originally known in Egypt. 

The funeral ritual for the dead has been preserved in the hiero- 
glyphics taken from a book translated from a copy at Turin, by 
Lepsius. It is termed the Book of the " Manifestations of Light." 
Extracts from this burial service, which contains several parts, and 
many prayers to Thoth, as the Divine "Wisdom, are found on the 
coffins. The following passage is from the discourse of the priest 
at the burial : " ye sent forth ministers to build the house of 
Osiris, send forth the soul of this Osirian that he may be with 
you in the habitation of this Osiris, that he may see as ye see." 
The discourse of the Osirian deceased is as follows : " Sun, 
Divine Lord, dart forth thy light and heat upon the face of the 
Osirian who glorifies thee this day with his sacrifices (his burial) ; 
let him journey with thee to the upper regions." 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

ABYSSINIA, AND OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 

Ascending beyond the first cataract of the Nile, through an 
opening wild and rocky, the river dashing with fierce fury among 
the splintered crags, we pass into the region of the torrid zone, 
and enter Nubia. The banks of the river here and there are lined 
with the ruins of temples ; further on, the scenery assumes an 
almost Alpine character, expecially to the east ; on the other side 
sweeps the eternal desert, whose golden sands form themselves 
into all sorts of fantastic waves, while a strip of ground on either 
side the river is fringed with the castor- oil plant and the prickly 
mimosa, upon which the patient camel browses with delight. 
Long plantations of date and doum palms tower above, the fruit 
of which forms the principal wealth and sustenance of the Nubi- 
ans, among whom bread is unknown. Passing further on, we 
reach Korosko, whence the river turns short to the west as far as 
Derr, the capital of Nubia. A few travelers pass the second cata- 



ABYSSINIA, ETC. 



527 




AEYSSINIA, ETC. 529 



ract of the Nile, covering a space of six or seven miles in length, 
infinitely more intricate than the first one, from the innumerable 
rocky islets thickly sprinkled throughout its whole extent, and 
after visiting the great Rock Temple of Ibsamboul, once sacred to 
Amnion He, or Osiris, the Jupiter of the ancient Egyptians, are 
contented to retrace their steps toward the regions of civilization. 
We, however, will continue our journey, and after just glancing 
at Derr, the mud capital of Nubia (for it is a collection of mere 
mud hovels), will pass on into 'Abyssinia. The whole of this 
country, including Nubia and Abyssinia, was the ancient Ethiopia, 
where Queen Candace exercised dominion, in the days of the 
Caesars.* It bade defiance to the power of the Roman arms, 
finally received the Gospel, which it has preserved (in Abyssinian) 
to the present day, though in a form at once imperfect and super- 
stitious. The Nubians, however, are generally Mohammedans — a 
dark, half-savage race of people, well formed, and tolerably hand- 
some in their appearance, with little or nothing of the negro in 
them. While the women of Egypt cover every thing but their 
eyes, those of Nubia uncover their faces, and wear cotton drawers, 
or girdles of leathern fringes. Their hair is separated into innu- 
merable meshes, each of which is twisted around a thin piece of 
tightly curled wood-shaving, and never undone or combed ! It 
looks exactly like an enormous wig, the long spirals of which, 
steeped in castor-oil, which, with the dust constantly renewed, 
give them quite a massive appearance. The men are all armed 
with long spears, hand-clubs made of wood, beautifully polished, 
and hard as iron ; long straight swords, of a peculiar form, widen- 
ing toward the point, slung over their back ; small knives, 
buckled round their left arm, and large round bucklers, with a 
boss in the middle, covered either with crocodile skin, or hippo- 
potamus hide. 

The Nile, it is well known, is divided far southward into two 
rivers, of which it is formed, the one called the Blue river, which 
flows from the southeast ; the other, the White river, from the 
color of its water, which flows from the southwest. Taking the east- 
ern branch, or Blue Nile, we soon find ourselves among the mount- 
ains of Abyssinia — a name signifying originally mixture or confu- 
sion, and given them of old by foreigners, to signify the apparent 
mixture of Arabian and African races. It consists chiefly of high 



* We may add of Solomon, king of Israel, for the name Candace, like 
those of Pharaoh and Csesar, seems to have been common to all the queens 
of Ethiopia. The exact location and limits of ancient Ethiopia are matters 
of some uncertainty. 

23 



530 THE WOELD WE LIVE EST. 



level tracts of land, or plateaux, divided by mountain ridges, with, 
deep, luxuriant valleys. The lowlands are intensely hot, the 
higher regions cooler, and more agreeable. The country in most 
parts is picturesque and beautiful, and abounds in vegetable and 
mineral productions. Its extent and population are not ascer- 
tained. The population, however, must be quite considerable, 
varying, perhaps, from 4,000,000 to 5,000,000. They comprise 
a variety of races, though in general features they resemble each 
other, and are all really distinct from both Africans and Arabians, 
with whom they were first confounded. They rather resemble 
the Hindoos, though taller and more vigorous. They belong to 
what has been called the Ethiopic (originally signifying dark) va- 
riety of the human race. All shades of complexion, however, 
are found among them. The black predominates, but the color 
varies from this, assuming " brighter and lighter tints, according 
to location, till it reaches a transparent copper hue." 

Abyssinia is covered with cities and villages, chiefly on elevated 
spots, and single houses clinging to the mountain sides. The 
houses are mostly composed of mud, straw, and rushes, timber 
being scarce, and the people not having yet learned the art of 
building with stone. Caves are also sometimes used for human 
habitations. The clothing of the poorer classes consists merely 
of skins, or pieces of cotton. A kind of drawers, and a strip of 
white cloth wrapped about the shoulders, generally forms their 
whole attire. The nobles and principal citizens, however, affect 
more elaborateness and splendor of costume. They usually wear 
a sort of under-dress of white cloth from the Indies, adorned 
with dyed silk embroideries, over which they throw a loose mantle 
of cotton. They are fond of jewelry, decorating their necks, 
arms, and ankles with silver ornaments. The dress of the females, 
which reaches to the chin, is becoming. They anoint their hair 
with a species of odoriferous pomatum, and sprinkle it with pow- 
der of cloves. 

In Abyssinia, though partially civilized, woman is little better 
than a slave. Other species of slavery prevail among them. With 
some virtues, they have many vices, though instances both of purity 
and elevation are found among them. Parents and children are 
fondly attached. The children are sedulously taught to respect 
and obey their parents and seniors. They are certainly superior 
to most of the African nations, and evince much skill in various 
kinds of manufactures. They have also authors, and even paint- 
ers. The ancient Abyssinian or Gheez language, in which their 
Scriptures, sacred books, &c, are written, is not now spoken. 
The Amharic, or modern Abyssinian, is the principal speech. 



ABYSSINIA, ETC. 531 



The Abyssinians are nominal Christians, symbolizing partly 
with the Coptic, and in some measure with the Greek Church. 
The priests are ignorant, and the people superstitious. Polygamy 
is not uncommon. The secular clergy are allowed to marry once. 
Many Jews, grossly ignorant, having nearly lost the use of the 
Hebrew, are settled in the mountain regions, and are generally 
regarded as sorcerers. The land is infested with wild beasts, par- 
ticularly hyenas, who are regarded by the people with supersti- 
tious dread, as Jewish sorcerers. The religion of the Abyssinians 
is mixed with Jewish practices ; circumcision is practiced, and the 
Jewish and Christian Sabbaths are observed. Saints, angels, and 
especially the Virgin Mary, are objects of worship. The Abys- 
sinian Bible contains "the Book of Enoch." At their feasts, beef 
is eaten in a raw state, swimming in blood. The soldiers, on a 
march, cut slices from the thighs of the cattle, covering the place 
over with skin, and then drive them on. 

The Gallas, a dark-brown race, ferocious and brave, have made 
sad inroads upon Abyssinia, settling down in the places from which 
they have expelled the inhabitants. Some of them have adopted 
Abyssinian manners, others are wandering shepherds and war- 
riors. It is feared that they may entirely overrun the country, 
and displace the natives. 

Once united in a single government, Abyssinia is now divided 
into three or four, governed by chiefs or Has. The government, 
of course, is despotic, and often cruel. 

An interesting and somewhat successful Christian mission, from 
which much may be hoped, has been established in Abyssinia. 
Gobat, now Bishop of Jerusalem, educated at the missionary 
school at Basel, in Switzerland, was the pioneer in this good 
work. 

But we must pass on, and leaving the interior of Africa, stretch 
along the western shores, with small and remote colonies of Euro- 
peans, for trading and other purposes, consisting chiefly of French, 
Portuguese, and English, but by no means in a flourishing state, 
though the English, by pushing commerce into the interior, may 
eventually make it quite profitable. The Scotch have an interest- 
ing Christian mission at Old Calabar. The English have missions 
at Sierra Leone and Fernando Po. But we cannot pass the 
American colony of free Africans from the United States, at Li- 
beria, now an independent government, and rising in resources 
and influence. Here schools, churches, and other means of civili- 
zation are established, and a good influence thence exerted upon 
the natives, the Bassas, Queaks, Candoes, and other African 
tribes. 



532 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



But perhaps the most interesting and promising colony in Africa 
is that originally formed by the Dutch, Dutch Boors, as they are 
called, which simply signifies Dutch farmers, but now occupied in 
part by English traders, merchants, missionaries, &c. Cape Town, 
near the Cape of Good Hope, was founded in 1652, and is built 
with regularity, and some degree of elegance. Here are print- 
ing-presses, government offices, schools, and churches. The 
population amounts to about 25,000. Missions have been es- 
tablished among the Caffres, Hottentots, Buschmen, Bechuanas, 
and others, with considerable success. The labors of Dr. Philip 
in Cape Town, and of that indomitable Scotchman, the Rev. Mr. 
Moffat, far inland, have exerted a most beneficial influence upon 
the natives. Mr. Cumming, the. Nimrod of Africa, in his 
" Hunter Life" has borne the most unequivocal testimony to the 
high character and successful labors of Mr. Moffat. Many of the 
poor natives have become Christians ; bloody chiefs have been sub- 
dued. Africaner, for example, the fierce freebooter and warrior, 
who had slain thousands by his own hand, and was the terror of 
the colonists far and near, became a gentle, happy Christian, and 
diffused around him a benign and civilizing influence. Bloody 
wars have been prevented — tribes hostile to each other have been 
harmonized — the arts of industry have been introduced — the 
Scriptures have been translated, and churches formed in the deep- 
est recesses of savage life. The wilderness and the solitary place 
are made glad, the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose. 

" Again the day-star gilds the gloom, 
Again the flowers of Eden bloom." 



ISLANDS. 



533 



CHAPTER XL. 



ISLANDS 




South Sea Islanders. 

The ocean, with its innumerable islands, is a world by itself, 
which half a dozen volumes would not exhaust. To make our 
work complete, however, we must designate and briefly describe 
some of those interesting groups of islands, destined at no distant 
day to play an important part in the affairs of mankind. Oceanica, 
or Oceania, lies mostly in the torrid zone : bounded on the north by 
the Indian Ocean, the Straits of Malacca, the Chinese Sea, and 
the parallel of 35° north ; on the east by the Pacific, separating 
it from America ; on the south by the Pacific, and on the west by 
the Indian Ocean : containing nearly 5,000,000 square miles, and a 
population estimated at from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000. It is 
divided into three groups : Malaysia, or the Eastern Archipelago, 
occupied chiefly by Malays and negroes, and to some extent by 



534 THE Y70KLD WE LIVE IN. 



Europeans, rich in the products of tropical climes, including 
the northwestern islands, from New Guinea to the Straits of Ma- 
lacca ; Australia, containing New Holland, a continent in itself, 
and the neighboring islands ; and Polynesia, which comprises the 
numberless beautiful and fruitful islands scattered over the Pacific 
ocean. 

Australia, or New Holland, is yet imperfectly known. Its ex- 
tent and resources are great, being 1500 miles in breadth from 
north to south, and 2600 miles in length from east to west, 
and having an area of about 3,000,000 square miles, with 
lofty mountains, deep valleys, vast forests, beautiful lakes, and 
some convenient harbors. Its coast indeed is rock-bound and in- 
accessible, except at particular points. Its productions are diversi- 
fied and singular ; its climate peculiar, but warm, and tolerably 
salubrious. Indeed, this region, in many respects, presents striking 
contrasts to any with which we are familiar in Europe or Ameri- 
ca. " It is New Holland," says one of its residents, " where it is 
summer when it is winter in Europe, and vice versa ; where the 
barometer rises before bad weather, and falls before good ; where 
the north is the hot wind and the south the cold ; where the 
humblest house is fitted up with cedar; where the fields are 
fenced with mahogany, and myrtle-trees are burned for fuel ; 
where the swans are black, and the eagles are white ; where the 
mole (Anatinus platypus) lays eggs, and has a duck's bill ; where 
there is a bird with a broom in its mouth instead of a tongue ; 
where there is a fish one-half belonging to the genus Raia, and 
the other to that of Squalus ; where the pears are made of 
wood, with the stalk at the broader end, and where the cherry 
grows with the stone on the outside !" 

Australia, or that part of it called New South Wales, has been 
used by England, to whom it belongs, though originally discoverd 
and colonized by the Dutch, as a place of banishment for con- 
victs, who form a peculiar, and by no means desirable part of the 
population ; but of late years it has been filling up with a better 
class of colonists. Schools, churches, and government offices 
have been established, and a spirit of energy and enterprise dif- 
fused among the people. 

With the exception of a few Malays upon the northwestern 
coast, and some Polynesians (New Zealanders, perhaps) on the 
northeast, the original inhabitants of Australia are a black race, 
called Melanasians (Black Islanders), to distinguish them from 
the negroes of Africa. They are among the ugliest and most 
barbarous of the human race, going naked, and living in dens 
and caves. 



ISLANDS. 535 



The European population, who are rapidly increasing in re- 
sources and character, and threatening even to make themselves 
independent of the mother country, by setting up a republican 
government, thus far only skirt the regions along the coast. Syd- 
ney, the capital, on Port Jackson, has one of the safest and most 
spacious harbors in the world. Though irregularly built, it has 
many substantial and even elegant buildings, and contains a popu- 
lation of some 20,000. It carries on an active commerce, not 
only with the Cape Colony, but with England, China, India, and 
New Zealand. 

Polynesia consists of innumerable islands, chiefly formed of 
coral reefs, which have arisen, and which are yet continuing to 
arise from the depths of the ocean. The South Pacific is all 
alive, so to speak, with coral-builders, those insignificant-looking, 
but wonderful insects, which are throwing up from their ocean- 
homes long ranges of coral-reefs, some of them extending over a 
thousand miles in length, and separated from each other only by 
short distances, easily navigated by the boats of the islanders. 

" He that in venturous barks hath been 

A wanderer on the sea, 
Can tell of many a brilliant scene 

They know not on the lea. 
* * * * 

Of coral rocks, from waves below 

In steep ascent that tower, 
And fraught with perils daily grow, 

Form'd by an insect's power." 

The process of formation, in many cases, is supposed to be this. 
These coral insects go to work at the bottom of the sea, form 
around themselves a calcareous accretion (chiefly carbonate of 
lime — how generated is yet a mystery), multiply their kind, one 
rising or spreading, so to speak, above another, and gradually 
form a living, moving mass, which rises and swells, till finally 
emerging, by its own energies, or uplifted by volcanic action, above 
the summit of the waves, the reef extends far and near over the 
cerulean deep. The interior is hollow, and the edges guarded by 
ramparts of coral. Washed by the waves, these break down, and 
mino-lino- with materials floatinp; on the surface of the ocean, 
gradually form a light rich soil. Seeds are deposited by birds, 
or are floated landward by the waves ; cocoanuts, especially, are 
thrown into the interior basin of the island, which take root, and 
soon spread themselves in beauty and luxuriance over the entire 
surface. People from other islands, or from the great continents, 
are wafted thither in their light canoes, and the hum of a busy 



536 THE WORLD WE LIVE EST. 



population is heard among the groves of palm. The islands, 
however, are greatly modified by volcanic action beneath the sur- 
face, which throws them into various shapes, and mingles them 
with earth, rocks, &c, and not only so, but raises them hundreds 
of feet above the level of the sea. 

The Sandivich Islands, which now possess for us so much in- 
terest, lying as they do on the great liquid highway between Cal- 
ifornia and China, have all been formed in this way. 

"The island of Molokai," says one writing from that part of 
the world, " is worth a traveler's visiting, despite the risk of cross- 
ing that boisterous channel, for the curious and beautiful corals 
he may get there, and the near view he may have of the living- 
coral beds in all their submarine luxuriancy. You may go out 
upon the reef in a canoe, and sail over the gay gardens, and in 
only a foot or two of water may gather some of the most exqui- 
site specimens of marine animalculic vegetation ever seen. The 
kinds, too, are uncommonly unique and various. In one mass, 
and disengaged at a single reach and effort of the arm, there will 
sometimes be five or six different species of this wonderful forma- 
tion cemented together. 

" The colors are diverse, and sometimes exquisite. Now and 
then you can point out a piece to a native, and he will bring it up 
all blushing with purple or blue, which you would give any thing 
to preserve in a cabinet with that delicate Tyrian tint. Sometimes 
it is like colored confectionary crystalized, with all the hues of the 
rainbow. But the tints of sunset clouds are not more fading and 
evanescent than the rosy blush of those beautiful sea-flowers, when 
once plucked from their aqueous bed. 

" It is only the coralline forms, or the different ways in which 
those ingenious little architects make their coral groves to grow, 
that can be preserved. And then those little radiations and 
branches are so brittle, and the microscopic finish of- the crystal- 
ine structure is sometimes so nice, that in washing off the extra- 
neous matters, and packing them up for friends at home, you are 
almost sure to break and mar the most perfect specimens. 

" It is very curious to observe how a family of corals will grow 
together and intermarry, till you can trace the pedigree from sire 
to son, through a coral ancestry for many generations. There is 
one species which the natives call ana, of which one of the boys 
here has got a rare specimen to send to one of his brothers in 
America. The ana grows somewhat like the head of a mush- 
room, on a flower-stalk put forth from the parent stock. If you 
call it a flower, its petals are innumerable white scales, growing 
erect, and separate each from its bed like the seeds of a sunflower. 



ISLANDS. 537 

These are of all sizes, from that of a button to the crown of a 
hat. The specimen referred to is a family tree, the trunk bearing 
its infant and youthful sprigs, of appropriate sizes, through ado- 
lescence to maturity, when some of the adult anas are having lit- 
tle miniature grandsons of the third generation. 

" The theory which avers that corals do not grow vigorously in 
less water than two or three fathoms is quite disproved by the 
growth at Molokai. We have seen and collected some fine living 
specimens, where the water was not more than two feet deep, and 
where the reef must be sometimes laid bare in low water. In a 
specimen obtained here by Mr. Andrews, only a ■ few days ago, 
there was found snugly inclosed in one of the cups formed by the 
little branches locking in with each other like locked hands, an 
interloping crab. There he was nicely caught and incased by the 
growing coral, as between the palms of two locked hands, pre- 
cisely as toads are sometimes found in rocks or the solid heart of 
trees. How long the fellow had been imprisoned there by the 
busy little builders upon those immense reefs we could not tell, 
but it must have been in some Rip Van Winkle sleep, if such 
things ever happen in the life of crabs. 

" Coral is most abundant on the leeward of the' islands, and the 
larger reefs are only found there. It is said to be ascertained by 
observation, that a uniform temperature of at least seventy-six 
degrees is most favorable to their growth. The great thickness of 
the reefs is supposed to be caused by the gradual and long-con- 
tinued subsidence of the original shelf of coral, while the surface 
is maintained at the same level as at first by the unceasing ad- 
ditions made by the polypes. According to this theory, the 
islands of Polynesia once formed a vast equatorial continent, which, 
through volcanic agency as x its probable cause, has subsided, and 
left the present islands as gravestones to commemorate its for- 
mer existence. 

" Be this as it may, besides the overflow from volcanic eruptions, 
a re-elevatory process must have been going on for ages 1 in the 
islands of Hawaii, in order to account for the existence of well- 
defined coral, on this island for instance, five hundred feet above 
the present level of the sea. The same has been found, also, ac- 
cording to Mr. Andrews, on Maui ; and natives say that on one 
of the mountains of Kauai, four thousand feet above the sea, there 
is coral and coral sand, and in it a spring of water. On the road 
from Lahaina to Wailuku, there is lava three or four hundred feet 
above the sea, covered with a deposit of lime from one-eighth to 
half an inch in thickness, as if made by successive coats of white- 
wash, precisely as I have frequently seen here stones at the sea- 

23* 



538 THE WOELD WE LIVE IN. 



side coated with carbonate of lime, which is, undoubtedly, a pre- 
cipitate from the sea- water. 

" In ravines, and on the sides of precipices, where the strata of 
successive volcanic eruptions are broken off, there is frequently to 
be found a perpendicular vein of carbonate of lime, that seems to 
have run into fissures, or to have been deposited there when in a 
state of solution, from what source it is not easy to tell. That it 
is lime cannot be doubted, for I have frequently seen it effervesce 
at pouring on sulphuric acid. There is, also, on this island, one 
thousand feet above the sea, a locality of a mineral very like to 
white flint, and which one might suppose to be crystallized coral, 
though it will not effervesce with the strongest acids. 

" While on the subject of corals, it is in place to mention an in- 
ference I have lately seen, which Williams makes in his Missionary 
Enterprises, in regard to the formation of corals, from the fact of 
there being carbonate of lime always in solution with salt water. 
His remarks are, that ' as corals are carbonate of lime, and as they 
are found to exist only in warm climates, where, by the process of 
evaporation, there is abundance of materials supplied for these in- 
sects to build with, instead of secreting the substance, or producing 
it in any other way, they are merely the wonderful architects 
which nature employs to mold and fashion the material into the 
various and beautiful forms which the God of nature designed it 
should assume. In the museum at Liverpool, among the speci- 
mens of coral, there is a branching piece of coral which is a cal- 
careous crystal, formed in the evaporating-house of the salt-works 
of the King of Prussia.' 

" So, in regard to sea-shells, instead of saying that the animals 
secrete the calcareous coverings which they inhabit, he thinks that 
they emit or secrete a gluten to which the calcareous particles 
adhere, and thus form the shell. Let there be a chemical precip- 
itation of the minute calcareous particles floating in sea-water by 
any means, and there might be formed a reef, agreeably to the 
experiment in which the passing of a stream of electric fluid 
through water having calcareous and silicious particles in solution, 
produces stones. 'The lightning (he thinks) of tropical regions, 
and the electric fluid engendered by submarine and other volca- 
noes which abound in the South Seas, may thus produce an effect 
adequate to the formation of those wonderful and invaluable struc- 
tures.' This is a much more rational theory to account for the 
existence of the immense coral reefs and coral islands of the Pacific, 
than that alluded to above, which supposes them wholly the work 
of saxigenous polypes or lithophytes. The so called saxigenous 
(or rock-making) polype builds upon the reefs, and cements his 



ISLANDS. 539 



singular tree-imitating structures to them ; but this agency, we 
cannot but think, is altogether inadequate to the formation of im- 
mense islands. The more solid and compact texture of the coral 
rock, often stratified, would also lead one to ascribe to it a differ- 
ent origin from the corals, whose exact and beautiful cellular 
structure evinces an animal "agency as plainly as the honey-comb 
of a bee-hive. It is, therefore, quite unnecessary to suppose the 
calcareous coral rocks either ' secreted by insects,' or ' the exuviae 
of the insects,' or ' the dead bodies of the insects themselves ;' but 
they are simply carbonate of lime precipitated from the sea- water 
which holds its particles in solution, mixed and cemented together 
with broken shells and pieces of corals ; and coral, properly so 
called (that which is to be seen in museums and cabinets), is 
what is built upon this rock, as a foundation, by the coral insect." 

Those- of the Sandwich Islands which are inhabited are eight in 
number, the whole group having an area of 6000 square miles, 
with a population put down from 150,000 to 180,000, though, 
from various causes, some of which are not understood, they are 
gradually diminishing in numbers. Some of the islands contain 
lofty peaks, with active volcanoes, rising somewhat more than 
15,000 feet in hight. 

The natives resemble the Malays a little, but are superior to 
them in form and general appearance. Their complexion is olive, 
inclining to yellow, the facial angle resembling the European, the 
eye black and full, and the gait dignified and graceful. Originally 
sunk in the deepest idolatry and vice, they have become, through 
the labors of the missionaries, a civilized and Christian people. 
They have schools, churches, printing-presses, and other indica- 
tions, as well as means, of civilization. With a charming climate 
and great fertility of soil, the commerce of the islands is quite 
considerable. Many foreigners, especially Americans, are taking 
up their residence in them ; they are also visited by Chinese and 
others. Lying upon the great maritime highway which unites 
the three principal divisions of the globe, and provided with ex- 
cellent harbors, these islands are acquiring an increased importance 
and value. This has been the case especially since the occupancy 
of California by the United States. 

Honolulu, the residence of the king, on the fertile island of Oahu, 
is beautifully situated, and has a fine harbor. It is defended by a 
fort and cannon, and has some good buildings. The king's palace 
is of stone, and richly furnished in the European style. Most of 
the natives are exemplary Christians. 

These attractive regions are, doubtless, destined to perform an 
important part in the commerce and civilization of the world. 



540 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. 



But we must not forget another interesting and important clus- 
ter of islands, the Antilles, lying at the entrance of the Gulf of 
Mexico, mostly between the tropics, with rich and varied scenery, 
a genial climate, and a fertile soil. The most interesting of these 
are Cuba, belonging to Spain, Jamaica, belonging to Great Britain, 
and Hayti, which is independent. Jamaica, though beautiful and 
fertile, has long suffered from oppression and bad management. 
The negro population, however, have been emancipated by the 
disinterested action of the mother country, and although some re- 
action has occurred, is rising in vigor, intelligence, and virtue. 
Christianity is spreading its benign influence over the island. Some 
unfavorable and counteracting agencies are at work ; but these, 
we trust, will be overborne by the progress of commerce, civiliza- 
tion, and religion. 

Hayti, or St. Domingo, is a large and fruitful island, where the 
earth brings forth its fruits almost spontaneously, or with very 
slight labor on the part of the husbandman. Its republican form 
of government, never well administered, has recently been changed 
into a monarchy. The commerce of the island is valuable, and, 
all things considered, the condition of the people fair. They are 
ignorant, indeed, and superstitious, and greatly need the civilizing 
and elevating influence of a pure faith. Catholics by profession, 
they mingle with their belief many strange notions borrowed from 
Africa, and seem incapable of rising to any grand and compre- 
hensive ideas of God, of freedom, and of virtue. 

In a word (for this is the final lesson of our entire work), this 
nation, like all others, in order to have peace, freedom, and pros- 
perity, must have a, free Bible, a free Church, and a free Press. 



THE END. 




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